


Facing Herself

by ChocolateStrawbs



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Odyssey (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Romance, Trans Bowser, Trans Female Character, Transgender, mother-son bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:01:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25860994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateStrawbs/pseuds/ChocolateStrawbs
Summary: Plagued by his past actions, Bowser locks himself away. That is, until Kamek's plan to cheer him up goes awry, and he's forced to confront himself - and his past actions - in a way he'd never imagined... [PeachxBowsette, Post-Odyssey] (Also posted on FFN) (Teen rating is for minor violent scenes)
Relationships: Bowsette/princess peach, Princess Daisy/Luigi, Princess Peach/Bowser
Comments: 106
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've published this up to chapter 6 on FFN (and intend to do so on here ASAP), but I'm greedy for attention, so I decided to post it here as well. This is the first thing I've posted here, so apologies in advance for any formatting errors.

"Your Majesty!"

Kamek's familiar voice rang through the wooden door, accompanied by his persistent knocking.

"WHAT!" Came the Koopa King's angered reply, his booming voice shaking the room.

There was a moment of silence from the hallway before the magikoopa's – now more hesitant – reply came through, "W-well, My King, it's just you haven't left your room in a week, I just want-"

"I'M FINE!" Bowser yelled, interrupting the same spiel that the old koopa had been using for the past six days.

"Of course, but-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE! Before I decide to throw you into a volcano, you old coot!"

That seemed to dissuade Kamek for now as, after a few hesitant mutterings, the hallway fell quiet once again.

With an irritated huff Bowser lowered his head back down onto his pillow, his gaze returning to the small picture clutched in his claws.

"Peach..."

The princess's soft blue eyes were looking directly into the camera when the photo was taken, her beautiful smile immortalised in the frame; a smile that Bowser had rarely seen in person – and never directed at him.

Normally – even after some of his worst defeats at the hands of _that pesky plumber_ – the sight of Peach's blissful smile was enough to soothe him enough that he didn't snap at the next unfortunate soul to cross his path. This time, however, the smile only seemed to mock him; to remind him of those lonely hours he spent alone on The Moon, before finally working up the willpower to return to Earth.

Perhaps the knowledge that Peach turned down Mario as well as himself should lessen the pain, but the pity he received and the _literal kick to the face moments later_ simply made him feel more pathetic than usual.

To Bowser, sometimes it felt like the only source of joy in his life was his son; Peach's smile made him feel like he could hope to one day find some more happiness with her.

Now... now it just reminded him of just how lonely he truly was...

* * *

From any citizen's perspective, the Mushroom Kingdom had returned to normal following the return of their princess following her kidnap and then her trip around the globe.

Those especially close to Mario or Peach, however, might disagree.

Though the two still got along and would still be present for important social events, there was a subtle awkwardness between the two; an unaddressed strain in their relationship that – though only noticed by those closest to them – drove a rift between them.

For Mario's part, he was still feeling the sting of rejection; though his proposal was impulsive, he was smarting at the harshness of the princess's dismissal. In addition, that Peach seemed to ignore the matter completely left him confused as to where he stood with her and what _exactly_ he had done wrong.

Peach, on the other hand, was hurt that the plumber seemed to see winning her hand in marriage as some sort of competition with Bowser – not to mention that the tyrannical koopa seemed to be the more crestfallen of the two when she rejected them both. Mario was a good friend and ally, but these recent events and his apparent lack of realisation as to what he did wrong, made her question whether he was truly the type of person she wanted to be involved with romantically.

Princess Daisy was the only person whom Peach had confided her thoughts on this, however, and she whole-heartedly supported her and was quick to reassure her that she should only be with someone who would propose out of love and nothing else.

Now if she could only find that someone...

* * *

King Bowser came back from The Moon two weeks ago. In that time, he had rarely emerged from his room; he had only come out to deal with issues that absolutely required his attention, or to spend time with Bowser Jr.

He was just returning to his room from doing the latter, when Kamek rushed up to him with one of the former.

"Your Terribleness!" His adviser called after him, evidently having hurried to try and catch his king while he was still out of his room.

The larger koopa grumbled in irritation, "What is it, Kamek?" Bowser wasn't quite ready to bury his self-loathing and face his responsibilities yet; just a few more days and he'd be able to effectively bury his feelings behind his usual rage and indifference.

"I have been experimenting with technologies that we could use for your next scheme; there are some that I think you will find quite interesting!"

Bowser mentally sighed. His next scheme was currently the furthest thing from his mind; the events on The Moon had sent him spiralling down into a dark place that he was struggling to crawl back from. Feelings of loneliness, self-loathing and depression – some new, some resurfacing after having been long repressed – were his constant companions in the darkness of his mind. His only respite was the time that he spent with his son.

However, Kamek was clearly concerned about him and was eager to show him something positive; the koopa king couldn't find it in himself to refuse him.

"Alright, let's see what you've got."

* * *

Kamek's lab was impressive. The Koopa King would never admit that, of course, but he still couldn't help but acknowledge it. Desks and workbenches were loaded with notes, books, vials and equipment and large devices – many with purposes unknown to Bowser – filled large work areas, some tall enough to almost reach the room's high ceiling. The staff of magikoopa that usually manned the lab was currently not present; likely at Kamek's prior request.

Bowser rarely came here; usually the king would think of a scheme then the magikoopas would present him with tools to aid it, so seeing all the cool things that filled the room piqued his curiosity.

Kamek led him further into the room, passing a large pod-like machine and a table with some power-ups that Bowser recognised, the closest being the super crown that Toadette could use to become Peachette. The sight of it brought back unpleasant memories of one time when they tried to trick him into abducting Peachette instead of Peach. _'Hmph. I'm insulted they even thought that I'd fall for that; her eyes aren't even the same colour!'_

Kamek stopped just past the power-up desk. With a mix of annoyance and curiosity, he picked up the crown and plopped it on his head.

He waited...

...

Unsurprisingly, no change came. Though, there was an unplaceable feeling of slight hollowness in his chest as he took the crown off. Before he could think on it, however, Kamek cleared his throat.

"Ah, yes. The Super Crown." He gestured to the object still in the king's claws, "We've been studying and reverse-engineering it to try and find something that could disguise someone as a toad." Kamek placed a strange patterned box with a large red button on it on the desk in front of his liege. "We still have a lot of work to do; the form taken seems to be random from person to person – no toads yet – and the switch comes with a _huge_ energy spike, however-"

The magikoopa was interrupted by a loud guffaw. "Huge?" Bowser picked up the proto-power-up with his other claw, "I bet I could take it."

Kamek's face dropped, his eyes bulging to be the same size as the rims of his glasses – not that Bowser could see. "NO, Sir, I highly advi-"

The following explosion cut him off.

* * *

The shockwave sent them both flying back, followed by a surge of electrical energy.

Kamek – who wasn't the target of the powerup – was simply sent sprawling across the floor some distance away.

Bowser, however, was propelled into the pod of the mysterious machine behind him, the energy of the surge powering up and overloading it.

The pod quickly harnessed the energy, activating in a blinding flash that consumed the koopa king.

The light died down after a moment when the circuitry of the device started to spark and smoke.

Kamek looked up from his position on the floor, to try and assess the situation. His gaze settled on the form slumped in the smoking pod. He breathed in to call out, but as his eyes focused, that same breath released in shock.

Bowser groaned in pain, but the noise sounded foreign to his ears. As he picked himself up to a sitting position, he couldn't help but notice that his weight distribution felt different. What really made him stop, however, was the sight of his hands. Where he expected to find thick yellow hands with claw-tipped fingers, he saw instead slender tanned fingers and smooth hands.

 _Human_ hands.

_Feminine hands._

The last thing his brain registered before blacking out was his startled yell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, cliffhanger! Sort of ruins the impact when I'm just about to upload the next chapter...  
> Hope you enjoyed it so far! I'd love to hear what you thought, constructive criticism is welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big chapter here! Lots of ground covered.

As Bowser's consciousness started to return, he opened his eyes with a jolt.

He recognised his bedroom around him instantly. _'Was it all a dream?'_ He thought, his heart rate skyrocketing. Rushing to pull his hands out from under the covers, he brought them in front of his face.

The same tanned human hands from before he blacked out.

He felt an odd sense of dread and relief, though he had no idea why.

A cough drew his attention to his left, where Kamek sat by his bedside.

"Si-umm... Your Majesty, how are you feeling?"

The odd look of shock and befuddlement that marred the magikoopa's face gave him pause.

_'What happened to me?'_

Ignoring the old koopa, bowser jumped out of bed – stumbling at his unfamiliar weight distribution – and rushed towards his full-body mirror.

The person that stared back wasn't quite a koopa, though they weren't entirely human, either. Feminine didn't quite cover it either; the body framed in the mirror was a _woman's body_. Breasts, wide hips and long legs that were definitely human, with an almost familiar – though it was longer and thinner – tail swaying slowly behind those legs. Speaking of familiar features; horns sprouted out from long red hair with blonde tips, framing a sharp-featured face with unreadable red eyes.

A strange feeling blossomed in Bowser's chest. The body in the mirror was his body – or was it _'her'_ now? Though Bowser knew that any normal person in his position would – should – be panicking right now, he couldn't find it in him to do so. An unusual peace settled over his sorrow-ridden mind, so he decided to accept it for now and simply be a she.

She watched in the mirror as she sighed in her acceptance.

"Y-Your Majesty?"

Remembering she wasn't alone, Bowser turned to face the still-startled Kamek.

"Yes?" The unfamiliar feminine voice replied.

"Y-You... You're fine with this?" He asked cautiously, having expected an outburst from the temperamental king.

Bowser simply shrugged. "What happened to me?"

Kamek stared incredulously for a moment before shaking his head and addressing his liege's question.

"Well, it seems that the combination of the experimental power-up, the super crown you were holding and the burst from the rejuvenation pod has turned you into a... Well, a woman." He paused, possibly waiting for a reaction of some sort, but received none. "I believe it's permanent."

"Permanent?"

"Well, I'm sure I'll be able to find something that could reverse it; given a few months."

An all too familiar hollow feeling opened in Bowser's chest. Reality seemed to hit her then; she couldn't rule the kingdom like this – she was Bowser, fearsome Koopa King!

...He. _He_ was Bowser.

Slightly panicked now, Bowser resorted to the only way he knew how to deal with it. Anger.

"Well, what am I going to do for months!? I can't rule like this; no one would take me seriously!?"

Kamek hmmed, "Well, you'd probably have to put clothes on first, I suppose..."

"KAMEK, YOU IDIOT! Don't joke about this!"

He looked puzzled for a moment, but settled on a look of pity. "I wasn't... But perhaps you could take a trip – take Junior with you – until I find a solution?"

Bowser started to pace. "I can't just leave!? What would we tell everybody?"

"We could tell them you are taking a short trip to train your fighting prowess; you're bringing Jr with you to teach him of life outside of nobility."

Bowser turned, enraged, towards the magikoopa. "WHAT!? That's crazy, I'd nev-" he paused. "Actually, that might work."

Kamek looked proud of himself. "All you'd have to do is live as a woman for a few months; we'll be able to look after the kingdom while you're gone."

_'Live as a woman...'_ Bowser nodded. "Fine. I can do that."

Kamek smiled. "Perfect. Any ideas for names?"

_'Hmm, names... what could I-'_

"Bowsette." The newly female koopa replied almost instantaneously, surprising even herself. _'Where had THAT come from!?'_

"Bowsette..." Kamek tested the name on his tongue. "It suits you."

She couldn't help but smile in response.

Before they could move onto discussing the finer points of their plan, the door started to creak open.

"Papa," Junior called, rubbing his eyes as he groggily padded into the room. "It's dinner ti-"

He paused, turning to see the strange woman that occupied his father's room just as she managed to tie a blanket around herself.

Junior's eyes widened, instantly noting the pretty woman's koopa features. "M-Mama...?"

Bowsette grimaced, showing off her sharp teeth. The poor kid desperately wanted a proper mother; this might just confuse him too much. She stepped towards the young koopa, dropping down to her knees in front of him. "Heya, Junior." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Umm... Not quite; let me explain." She settled on the ground, gesturing to Junior to do the same. Kamek also stood just off to the side, to intervene if need be.

"Well, you see..." She started, considering the best approach to this. "There was an... accident at the lab and your Dad was caught in it." Junio's eyes widened in panic. Realising her mistake, Bowsette hastened to correct herself, "He's fine! It's just... well, he was turned into... Well, he was turned into a woman. Me."

Junior's face settled on a neutral, wide eyed expression. "You're Papa?"

Bowsette simply smiled awkwardly and nodded.

Junior rushed forward to pull his sole parent into a hug. "Does that mean you're my Mama now?"

Bowsette returned the hug, pure happiness blooming in her chest and tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She glanced over the where Kamek was simply watching the gesture with a warm smile and answered her son. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Mama..." Junior muttered, snuggling deeper into the hug.

* * *

Bowsette remained at the castle for a few days while details were hashed out and Kamek performed tests to insure she was in good health.

Not wanting the castle staff to catch wind of what happened, Bowsette spent most of her time hidden in her room. Though that was what she was doing before the change, this time she felt happier while doing so; not that she was particularly happy most of the time – the sadness that she'd been drowning in since the disastrous Moon wedding still weighed heavily on her, but she felt more... comfortable in her sadness, like she was no longer struggling to keep her head from going under.

The most likely cause of this comfort was Junior; he insisted on spending more time with her, claiming that he was enjoying finally having a mother.

_"Junior," She said to the young koopa sat in front of her. "You know I'm still your Papa; I just... have a different body. You understand that, right?"_

_Junior just smiled. "I know. But I've never had a real Mama, so it's nice to have one now; it doesn't matter that you're also my Papa."_

_Hearing that warmed her heart, but also gave her a pang of guilt that Junior never got to know his mother._

_"Besides," He continued. "I get a lot more hugs from you now."_

_Bowsette chuckled at that, pulling him into her chest._

Junior's acceptance of the whole thing proved a great comfort, and his joy over it was a great distraction from the turmoil in her mind.

She also spent a lot of her time simply _being._

That is, being a woman.

Since acquiring this new body, Bowsette had been filled with curiosity to do many things. Some of those things were decidedly feminine; styling her hair and trying different clothes – though that could just come with having a smaller form, as her previous body wasn't too adaptable to, nor in need of, many clothes. Others were more basic, like experiencing trivial things; like lying in bed or having a shower unburdened by an ungainly koopa body.

It was different, but a good different. Perhaps different was what her life needed right now.

* * *

Three days after the accident, Bowsette left the Koopa Kingdom with Junior. Kamek had acquired them a small wooden lodge located in a forest in the southern part of the Mushroom Kingdom. There was a large lake a short distance south east of the lodge and a small town at the northern edge of the forest, that they could visit for any provisions they needed – they certainly weren't lacking for money.

They arrived in the evening, having travelled by clown car, which they hid in a shed attached to the back of the lodge – not wanting it to attract any attention.

The front door of the lodge opened into a main room, with a kitchen and dining area on the left and a living area on the right. There were three doors on the wall opposite the front door, leading to two bedrooms and a bathroom, with the bathroom situated in the middle.

As Bowsette explored and inspected the lodge, Junior waddled over to the sofa and yawned loudly, before flopping onto it. "Mama, I'm hungry!" He whined.

Bowsette chuckled under her breath and rolled her eyes at her son's antics while walking over to the fridge – Kamek had assured her that the place would be well-stocked with enough food for the next few days. Overall, Junior seemed to have mixed feelings about having to live away from the castle for an undetermined amount of time; he said he'd miss the castle and not being able to eat anything he liked, but that he was also excited to live out in the forest and spend more time with his Mama.

_'He's not the only one that'll miss the castle kitchens...'_ Bowsette thought as she looked in the fridge, realising that she had to actually _cook_ something. Not that she had no experience doing so, but that experience was mostly reserved for cooking meat. Mostly on a barbeque.

Assessing what they had, she was relieved to find that most of it was meat anyway. Though, she still balked at having to be the _responsible_ one and ensure that they ate a somewhat balanced diet; at least she could just throw it in with the meat.

She looked through the cupboards, assessing the rest of their food stock. _'Potatoes count as vegetables, right?'_

* * *

Both tired from the journey, the two Koopas went to bed not long after they'd eaten the only _slightly_ burnt meal. Bowser Junior likely fell asleep almost instantly, but Bowsette wasn't that lucky. Her mind was awake with thoughts and concerns; how long will they be here? Would anyone find them here? What if she missed a Karting tournament? Will Kamek really be able to reverse this?

_'Will I want him to?'_

Her eyes shot open at that, as she quickly sat up. _'where did THAT thought come from?!'_

Unnerved, she got out of bed, turned on her bedside lamp and stood in front of the full body mirror on the wall.

Her blonde-tipped red hair was a mess, her bedclothes ruffled from all her tossing and turning, and her eyes were tired for want of sleep.

She often found herself doing this. Simply looking at herself in the mirror. It was... oddly comforting for the conflicted koopa. Her body was so different from her previous one, but it never seemed that unfamiliar. Like it was made for her.

Bowsette shook her head of those thoughts. She often found herself questioning the significance of her new body but could never find any answers; it was best to just try and ignore the matter entirely.

Returning to bed, she soon managed to fall asleep.

* * *

The next day, Bowsette decided to check out the local town. They didn't need anything in particular, but she thought it best to investigate the town, get an idea of where everything was.

She _definitely_ wasn't going to get loads of snacks.

As she arrived in the centre of town, however, her eyes were drawn to the north side of town, to the road clearly signposted to lead to Toad Town.

Her mind instantly drifted to Peach. Oh, how she missed the beautiful blonde princess. How she'd love to catch but a glimpse of her and her angelic smile.

Bowsette's heart sunk. That smile that was never meant for her, it seemed. She wondered what Peach was up to now – no doubt being happier with Mario than she could ever be with her. The thought that Peach might now be even less interested in the koopa now she was female crossed her mind for but a second, before dismissing the stupid thought. It was time to be honest with herself; someone like Peach would never like her – especially after all that she had done – regardless of what form she took.

Bowsette turned her head away from the road, guilt and shame weighing heavily on her heart.

Dwelling on the matter would only sour her mood further.

* * *

Peach had been back for about a week and a half following her week-long holiday with Tiara – with Mario also popping up from time to time. In that time, Mario and Peach had – at least, by her understanding – reached a silent understanding to not discuss the events on the moon. Naturally, this meant that any romantic subtext that might have previously been seen in their interactions was no longer there. Peach was becoming increasing fine with this and was just glad that the awkwardness between them had seemed to dissipate somewhat.

When the news that King Bowser was taking a break from the throne to hone himself and humble his son, the two – and the kingdom as a whole – shared a collective sigh of relief that Bowser's absence likely meant no kidnappings until he returned to his station.

Amidst the relief, however, Peach couldn't help but feel slightly concerned for the koopa king. In his last few kidnappings, he seemed increasingly frantic and determined to charm her – in all the wrong ways, of course – culminating in the madness that was their moon wedding. But that thought, coupled with his dejection at her rejection of his proposal, rose concerns about his mental state. Not that she sympathised with him; his actions have caused untold damage to many kingdoms and his attempts at courtship make her want to kick some sense into his thick, prideful skull. But he had shown in that past that he wasn't entirely cruel; she just hoped he could find some peace.

That is, without hurting others.

* * *

Having returned from her trip to town with far too much junk food, Bowsette spent the rest of the day stuffing herself to her heart's content while moping on the sofa. Junior diligently stayed snuggled by her side, alternating between sleeping and eating.

Eventually, she also dropped off into a fitful sleep.

She awoke feeling horrible – and not just emotionally. A horrible taste lingered in her mouth, her stomach was feeling queasy from the lack of nutritional food and she had a pounding headache. She looked down at Junior, who was sleeping with his head resting on her lap. No doubt, he would also feel ill when he awoke; though likely not to the same extent, thanks to the resistance that children seemed to have towards binging sugar and snacks.

_'Still... I'm a bad mother for letting it happen.'_

She sighed. The thought only added more guilt to that which she was already feeling from yesterday. She was a bad parent, an impulsive ruler, a far-too-aggressive attempted suitor and an all-round terrible person, it seemed. She wondered why she ever thought she could be a good husband in a marriage that started from a kidnapping.

She squeezed her eyes shut, stopping that train of thought. She couldn't do this. She couldn't keep wallowing in self-pity and guilt for the rest of her life; if not for her own wellbeing, then for Junior's.

_'But how?'_ She dropped her head into her hands. She didn't know how to be happy – or even content – in life; her only sources of joy were Peach, Junior and the occasional karting tournament.

_'Well. One of those things is here with me right now, depending on me to be a good mother.'_

Even if she would spend the rest of her life sad and alone, she could still be the best parent she could possibly be for Junior.

Making sure not to wake the sleeping koopa, Bowsette carefully extracted her thigh from under his head, lent over to give him a gentle kiss on his forehead and walked over to the kitchen area. Checking their supplies, she decided on pancakes with fruit for breakfast. Healthy and tasty.

Junior stirred after a while, awoken from the smell. He stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

"You feeling alright, Kiddo?" Bowsette asked over her shoulder.

He grunted ambiguously and hugged her lower body. "Are you alright, Mama?"

He was looking up, trying to meet her eyes. When she looked down at him, there was genuine concern there. Bowsette felt guilt and happiness in equal measure; guilt that her son had to be concerned for her mental health and happiness at being loved by someone.

She gave him a smile. "I'm... I'm getting there, Kiddo."

And she felt like maybe she was. She still felt the guilt and shame from all of her past misdeeds and failures, but now she was beginning to accept them; perhaps if she did that she could learn from them and maybe become a better – and happier – person because of it.

"Good." Junior said with a smile. "What's for breakfast?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to my original authors note, I wasn't entirely satisfied by parts of this chapter and also the pacing (I've not re-read it before posting). Hope you've enjoyed it, though!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> (Again, call me out on any formatting issues, this is copy-pasted from the doc editor on FFN, with me giving it a brief check.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter ahead!

Over the next week, they settled into a loose routine. In the mornings, Bowsette would make sure that Junior was caught up on his schoolwork and in the afternoon the two would do something like visit the lake or play a game. Bowsette also found time to ensure she could still fight in her new body, should she need to defend herself; happily, she found that – though there was less weight behind her attacks – she could move faster and could execute more precise strikes. Oh, and she could still breathe fire with the same effectiveness as before. Overall, she was at least as deadly as she had always been.

On the eighth day, Junior had the day off from schoolwork, so Bowsette left before he awoke to try out a new technique she'd come up with on the eastern side of the lake. She picked that area because it was sufficiently out the way of the town and there was a large clearing that was well-sheltered on all sides by bushes and trees.

She was wearing an outfit that had become something of a staple for her; she wore a sleeveless black dress with a sweetheart neckline kept up by shoulder straps, the skirt of which was reminiscent of that of Peach's signature dress – not that Bowsette would ever admit that – the only difference being the colour and that it ended at about knee level, for mobility purposes. On her feet she wore black boots, for the sake of practicality – though they looked damn good, if she did say so herself. Lastly, she topped the look off with her signature armbands and choker, resulting in a look that was equal parts beautiful and intimidating. Just the way she liked it.

She practiced in the clearing for a few hours before going into town to pick up some supplies.

However, when she got there the whole town was in disarray.

Carriages were knocked over, supplies thrown about the place, Toads looking dishevelled. They were looking out of sorts, trying to put the place back together.

Bowsette walked into the shop, finding the only toad that she'd spoken to in town in the past week.

"Hey, what's happened out there?" She asked the shop keeper, who looked as unkempt as the people outside.

He turned to her, having just picked up a fallen display. "Oh, a band of thugs just came through; they were knocking everything over and stealing food!" He sent her a nod of appreciation, as she finished picking up boxes that had been strewn about the floor. "I think they might have had a hostage as well!"

From what Bowsette had gathered about the town, it didn't have much in the way of protection; even a small group could barrel through without much opposition.

Still...

"What direction did they go?"

"They came from the north, ran straight through, leaving out the south side of town."

_'The south side...'_

There was probably nothing to worry about, but if they passed her cabin, it was likely that they'd ransack that as well and if they already had a hostage...

"I've gotta go." Bowsette said quickly, turning to rush out the door and out the south side of town.

* * *

She ran as fast as she could, arriving at the cabin in only a few minutes.

She rushed around to the front, her blood running cold when she saw the door was hanging open.

"JUNIOR!"

Hurrying in, she looked around. The place had been torn apart. The furniture had been completely uprooted, most of it broken. Broken dishes and glass covered the kitchen floor and the sink had been pulled out, water spraying out of the broken pipe. Pictures had fallen off the walls and there were burn marks on the floor.

_"JUNIOR!"_ She shouted again, panic setting in.

Checking the other rooms and all of the cupboards proved fruitless, they appeared to be untouched.

Walking back into the living area, amongst the destruction from the fight that had taken place here, her hands tightened into fists and her teeth clenched.

Rage pumped through her system, fuelled by a fierce protectiveness that only a parent can possess.

The thugs that ransacked the town had kidnapped Junior, _her son._

Once she got her hands on them, they'd spend every remaining second of their pathetic existences regretting it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Putting a bottom note because the one from the first chapter appears otherwise...


	4. Chapter 4

The Mushroom castle was on red alert.

Guards rushed around, trying to figure out what had happened while castle staff hastily tried to find their friends and ensure their safety.

Stood amidst the chaos, Princess Peach waited as the Mario Brothers arrived; slowing to a stop in front of her.

"What's-a happened here?!" Luigi asked.

"Mario, Luigi." Peach addressed the two with audible relief. "Toadsworth has been kidnapped!"

"Toadsworth? I-a thought Bowser was taking a break?" Mario asked, puzzled.

Peach shook her head. "I don't think it was Bowser; a group of toads and koopas did this. If Bowser had, he would have made sure that we knew it was him."

The brothers nodded in agreement. "And he would have taken you and not-a Toadsworth." Luigi reasoned with a sheepish smile.

Peach hummed dismissively, her thoughts wandering back to Bowser's most recent kidnapping. "Please – Mario, Luigi – You have to save him!"

The two puffed out their chests, a determined look crossing their features. "You can-a count on us, Princess Peach!" Luigi declared.

"Which-a way did they go?" asked Mario.

* * *

Bowsette wasn't good at tracking; she had no experience, as she was usually the one that was tracked rather than the one doing the tracking.

Following the trail of debris left by the kidnappers was so easy, however, it could hardly be called tracking.

She followed their trail for about an hour, before coming across what looked to be a large abandoned house where they had apparently set up base.

Observing the entrance from behind a bush, she saw that there were two guards at the door; one toad and one koopa.

She briefly considered her options; she could take the direct route, she could cause a distraction or she could try a stealthy approach.

Though, she supposed, it was perhaps too late to consider stealth after her foot had already made abrupt contact with the koopa guard's head.

Utilising her momentum, she followed through with punch to the toad guard. Both unconscious, she turned to the door.

The door violently splintered under her immense strength.

Three Kidnappers stood near the doorway, startled by her entrance. They were swiftly engulfed in Bowsette's flames. Extending her claws, she obliterated the nearest door. The inhabitants of that room were not spared her rage; defenceless against the onslaught of sharp claws, harsh punches and a whip-like tail.

Over the next ten minutes, Bowsette tore through the house with claw, fist, foot and flame. None were spared her rage. Having cleared most of the rooms in the house, she still hadn't found any clue of Junior's whereabouts. Kicking down the next door, she came across a small room with only one koopa inside. Rushing forward, she seized him by the throat, forcing him against the wall.

"Where is he?!"

The unbridled rage in Bowsette's deep red eyes filled the koopa with fear. "T-they're in the pantry! Please don't hurt me!"

She answered by slamming his head into the wall again, knocking him out.

She fought her way to the kitchen with the same relative ease that she cleared the rest of the house. Coming up to the pantry doors, she ripped the door off its hinges, throwing it to the side.

However, Junior wasn't their only hostage, it seemed.

He was tied and blindfolded back-to-back with an elderly toad. Puzzled, she set about untying them when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"A-Who are you?"

Oooh, that voice. That voice that barely spoke, that belonged to the harbinger of Bowsette's greatest defeats.

She turned to witness the Mario Brothers in all their glory.

"If it isn't everyone's favourite plumbers." She said mockingly.

A look of confusion crossed their faces. Luigi spoke. "D-do we know you?"

Bowsette's look of anger was quickly replaced with one of surprise. _'Right. They don't recognise me.'_

"Umm... No."

A moment of awkward silence passed, which Bowsette quickly broke.

"Are you here for him?" She stood to the side slightly, letting them see the elderly toad.

"Ah, yes, Toadsworth!"

The now untied toad stood and removed his gag.

"Mario! Luigi! Thank you for coming for me!" He then turned to face Bowsette. "Though, it seems this young lady has already rescued me!"

"Right. Well, I was only here to rescue Juni-uhhh..." She stopped herself. If they knew that she was Bowser or that Junior was with her, they wouldn't likely let her go without a fight.

If recent fights with Mario were any indication; that was an altercation that she'd rather avoid.

"Juni! I was here to rescue my kid, Juni." She turned to crouch in front of junior, removing his bandanna, flipping it to hide its design and tied it over his head like a hood.

"Just roll with it, Junior; they can't know that it's us." She whispered in his ear.

"Thank you for saving me, Mama!" He said – in a different register to his normal voice – after she removed his gag.

He hugged her and she picked him up, holding him to her chest.

"See?" She said, turning to the other three. "Just here to rescue my son, I'd best be going."

"Wait!" Toadsworth shouted, blocking her path. "You saved me, and you must be rewarded. Come back to the Mushroom Kingdom with us as we shall do just that."

Bowsette waved her free hand dismissively. "Oh no, it's alright; I'll just be on my way."

Mario looked at her curiously before interjecting. "Princess Peach will-a want to meet the person that saved her trusted advisor, you-a must come!" Luigi nodded along encouragingly.

_'Princess Peach...'_

This was a bad idea. A terrible, terrible idea. She couldn't meet with Peach, not after what had happened on the Moon; she needed to stay away from the mushroom monarch for as long as possible.

"Well, if you insist..." Bowsette conceded.

* * *

"So, what's-a your name?"

The group consisting of Mario, Luigi, Toadsworth, Bowser Junior and Bowsette had set off back to the mushroom kingdom on foot – deciding that they would stop by Bowsette's cabin so she could pick up some of her and Junior's stuff; they would likely have to stay the night in Toad Town as it was already evening.

She turned her head towards Luigi, initially hesitant to answer his question before she realised that they wouldn't recognise her name anyway.

"Bowsette."

"Bowsette, huh?" He gave her a funny look, before settling on a neutral expression. "It suits you."

"Well, I'd hope so, being as it's my name." She snarked, rolling her eyes.

Luigi was unphased by it, though, and looked like he was going to carry on talking, when Toadsworth – who had clearly been listening in – interjected.

"Oh, Bowsette, I really cannot thank you enough for saving me! I'm glad you agreed to come back to Toad Town with us – have you ever been to Toad Town, Bowsette?"

"Oh, umm... once or twice." She replied awkwardly, unsure how to take the elderly toad's happy demeanour.

He smiled at her reply, "Oh, then I'm sure I don't have to tell you how wonderful it is..."

He talked her ear off most of the way back to the cabin, talking about the various things to do in the Mushroom Kingdom and the various events that Peach often held – many of which Bowsette had crashed in order to kidnap the princess. He quieted when they reached the cabin, however. Mario, Luigi and Toadsworth all looked upon the beaten-up cabin and its ruined exterior with pitying eyes. Bowsette was mostly unphased; it was an inconvenience, to be sure, but not one that some time and money – both things she had in abundance at the moment – wouldn't fix.

Bowsette and Junior navigated around the mess to their rooms to pick up some personal effects and Bowsette improved Junior's disguise with a scarf and some glasses. He looked adorable, but she didn't want to embarrass him by pointing that out.

"Are we gonna kidnap Mama Peach again, Mama?" Junior whispered.

Bowsette was quick to dismiss the idea. "No, Junior. I'm... I'm starting to think that maybe kidnapping Peach isn't the best idea anymore."

The quizzical look on the young koopa's face clearly illustrated how foreign that concept seemed to him. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. She was about to voice the thoughts that had been taking shape in her mind since returning from the Moon; something she didn't want to admit to herself, but that she now knew she'd have had to face sooner or later.

"Even if we kidnap Peach, the Mario brothers will just find some way to rescue her again, like they always do. And even if they didn't, Peach wouldn't be happy with us; not unless she was with us by choice."

Junior looked horrified. "But..."

He thought about it for a moment before looking up into Bowsette's eyes. "But Mama Peach makes you happy, doesn't she, Mama?"

She nodded, vaguely aware that there were tears forming in her eyes. "She does... but, I'd rather she be happy than me."

Junior was shedding tears of his own now, while he pulled his mama into a hug. "I'm sorry, Mama."

She gave him a squeeze. "I'm sorry, too, buddy."

"I love you, Mama." Junior whispered.

Bowsette felt a pang in her chest. "I love you too, Kiddo."

They stayed like that for a while, collecting themselves, before gathering the rest of their things.

Disguise in place and luggage ready, the group set off for Peach's castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are happening! Exciting! To Peach's castle they go!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a big chapter! I'm rather fond of this one!

As they arrived outside Peach's castle, Bowsette was increasingly glad that Junior never actually questioned _why_ they were going there – because she didn't even know herself. Of course, she was also terrified about meeting Peach, but the relief from the former was easier to focus on.

They strode through the large castle doors; Mario, Luigi and Toadsworth in front with Bowsette – who was desperately trying to hide her panic – and Junior trailing behind them. Clearly, she wasn't doing a good job, though, as Junior gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they crossed the threshold.

"Toadsworth!"

Peach had apparently been waiting anxiously for their return, as she was upon them seconds after they were through the door. She crouched down to give the elderly toad a hug and she, Toadsworth, Mario and Luigi exchanged a few words.

For the life of her, however, Bowsette could not say what was being said between them. She knew, after everything that had happened, seeing Peach again would be hard. But this? She was frozen, her heart somehow soaring with happiness and aching with sorrow at the sight of her. Her bright blue eyes were just as captivating as she remembered them, and that smile – so much more powerful in person than on a picture – could still reduce her insides to mush.

She stood, staring like an idiot until Toadsworth's voice broke through her trance.

"Yes! It was this young woman who saved me, I owe her dearly!"

Toadsworth and the Mario Brothers stood to the side, bringing Peach's attention to Bowsette – not that they needed bother stand out of the way, as she was taller than all of them.

"You saved Toadsworth? Thank you." She said, giving her a warm smile.

Many times, Peach had accused her of being heartless; if she knew of the things that were happening in her chest at the sight of her smile – her _wonderful_ smile – finally being directed at her... well, she'd know she was very wrong indeed.

"O-oh, it was nothing." Without her usual macho veneer to hide behind, Bowsette couldn't help but be reduced to an awkward, stuttering mess.

Peach chuckled lightly. Whether at her response or her awkwardness, she did not know. Either way, it was one of the most beautiful sounds to have graced Bowsette's ears.

"Might I ask your name?"

"Bowsette. And this is my son, Juni." Junior waved, probably trying desperately to hide his excitement at seeing the person he held as a mother figure.

"Bowsette, Juni. I'm honoured to meet you." She said with a bow of her head. "I am in your debt."

A beat passed between them, where Bowsette didn't quite know what to say, before Peach changed the subject. "It's getting late; perhaps you two would like to stay for dinner? Maybe stay the night in some of the guest rooms?"

Bowsette would love to take her up on that offer, but she knew the longer she stayed, the more it would hurt to leave again; she should never have come. "Oh, we couldn't. Thank you, but we'd best get going back to our cabin. It was a pleasure to see your castle."

Peach looked somewhat disappointed, but before she could insist, Toadsworth cut in. "But Bowsette, your cabin was half-destroyed; the least we can do is allow you to stay for a while, while you get back on your feet."

"Oh!" Peach exclaimed with pity. "Your home was destroyed?" She fixed Bowsette with a firm but kind gaze, placing her hands on her hips. "Then I must insist that you stay; at least for a few days."

Bowsette wanted to tell them that she had more than enough money and resources to sort the cabin quickly, but that would raise more questions than it would answer. Besides, she couldn't find it in her to deny the beautiful blonde when she was looking at her like that.

She acquiesced with a small nod. "Okay... we'll stay. Thank you, Princess Peach." She nudged Junior with her foot.

"Thank you, Princess Peach." He said.

Peach smiled once again. "It is the least I can do. Now, dinner must almost be ready; please follow me."

She started to walk off and Bowsette caught a brief glance at the Mario Brothers, who were looking at her curiously – Mario's gaze with a hint of suspicion.

She chose not to think on it now and turned to follow Peach as she hurriedly turned back around to face them. "Oh, Mario, Luigi, you'll join us as well, won't you?"

"Of course! We'd be delighted." Luigi replied for both of them.

* * *

Though this wasn't her first time dining with Princess Peach, it was the first time where she wasn't a captive in her castle. As such, Bowsette was initially worried about her lack of fine dining skills. Watching the Mario Brothers, however, immediately put that to rest. They weren't messy eaters exactly... but it certainly wasn't what she'd expect at Peach's table – a view that the princess clearly didn't share, as she was completely unphased.

So she made the effort to eat neatly – and told Junior to do the same – but she wasn't overly worried about it.

"So, Bowsette, are you from the Koopa Kingdom?" Peach asked after they had tucked into their meals.

Though the Koopa Kingdom and Mushroom Kingdom were usually at odds – mostly due to her repeated kidnap attempts – the Mushroom Kingdom was still accepting of any of its peoples. So, at least Bowsette would be able to answer this question honestly.

"Yeah. Lived there my whole life, only came to the Mushroom Kingdom recently."

"Oh? Why did you leave, if you don't mind me asking?"

"There was an... Incident with Juni's father; I thought it was a good time for a change of pace." She replied vaguely.

Sensing that she'd touched on a sensitive topic, Peach opted to reply simply with a nod, before changing the subject; to Bowsette's relief.

Addressing everyone at the table, Peach asked, "Did anyone find any clues as to who the kidnappers were?"

Mario, Luigi and Bowsette all seemed shocked at the question, the thought having never crossed their mind. _'In my defence, I was much more concerned about Junior's safety... and not accidentally burning the hideout down.'_

Toadsworth, however, seemed to expect the question. "I didn't find anything myself, in my brief search."

Noting the looks on the three rescuers faces, Peach realised that was the best she would get. "Well, I suppose it can't be Bowser; he would have made it clear that he was behind it. I suppose he really is taking a break."

"A-good. We won't have to deal with-a that monster for a while." Mario said scornfully.

There was a pang in Bowsette's chest as she tried to hide the pained expression on her face. To her right, she could sense Junior getting riled up at the plumber's comment. Before the young koopa could say anything, however, Peach spoke again.

"Yes, though I hope he's alright." She said quietly, though everyone present heard it.

Bowsette's heart leapt for joy at that; knowing that Peach actually seemed to care about her somewhat.

"What-a do you mean?" Mario spoke, confused by her sympathy for the koopa king.

"Well, he didn't seem to be in the best state on-" She promptly cut herself off, "When we last saw him; he may be a bad person, but I wouldn't want him to be in a bad way."

Bowsette's joy dissipated somewhat at that, but she caught herself; she was a bad person. Even if she was trying to change.

Instead of dwelling on that, she instead noted the light scowl on Mario's face. _'Is there something going on between those two?'_ Peach wasn't meeting the plumber's gaze and silence fell over the table.

Odd.

Toadsworth broke the silence this time, addressing Junior. "So, Juni, your mother mentioned that you've been having lessons recently. Perhaps you would like me to show you around the castle tomorrow and teach you a bit about it and the history of the royal family?"

Junior wasn't usually one to enjoy education, so Bowsette was shocked when he replied with apparent excitement, "That sounds fun, I'd like that." She considered that perhaps it was because Junior always jumped at an opportunity to hear more about his chosen mother figure; maybe he saw this as a way of indirectly getting close to her.

Were she alone, she would have sighed. Junior needed to let Peach go – they both did – it would only hurt him in the end. Peach didn't want to be a part of their family. They needed to respect that.

* * *

The next morning, Toadsworth met them at the bottom of the main staircase for Junior's lesson. He was not alone, however. Accompanying him was Peach, smiling brightly at the two waiting koopas.

"Good morning, Bowsette, Juni!" Toadsworth called in greeting. "Juni, I hope you're ready for your lesson; there's a lot of history in these walls!"

"I'm ready, Mr Toadsworth!" Junior replied enthusiastically.

"That's great to hear. Now, I believe Princess Peach wished to borrow your mother?"

Peach stood forward, giving Junior a polite nod, before addressing Bowsette.

"Yes. Bowsette, I was wondering if you would like to me accompany on a stroll through the gardens while Juni is with Toadsworth?"

She struggled to hide her surprise. _'Peach wants to spend time with me?! Alone? Keep it cool, Bowsette.'_ She quickly kept herself composed, however and buried her excitement.

"O-oh! I'd love to!"

_'...So much for keeping it cool...'_ Ignoring her thoughts, she turned to Junior and crouched in front of him. "You have fun, Juni. And be good." She emphasised the last point by poking him on the tip of his snout.

"Great!" Peach said. "I hope you enjoy your lesson, Juni. We'll see you both later."

"Bye Mama, bye Princess Peach!" Junior called as both called as both groups parted ways.

"I was surprised that Juni seemed so enthusiastic to learn about the castle; most kids that age aren't too interested in history." Peach said as they made their way to the gardens.

Bowsette chuckled lightly. "I was too, guess he has a soft spot for castles." She paused a moment before adding, "I just hope he's not too much for Toadsworth; he can be quite mischievous when he wants to be."

"Oh," Peach laughed, "I suppose we will find out later." Bowsette smiled bashfully in response.

They continued in silence for a moment, until they came upon a door. "After you." Peach said, holding the door open for the koopa woman.

"Thank you." Bowsette said as she walked through the door, looking at the castle gardens.

She'd seen them before – many times – but she'd never really taken the time to appreciate them. There were countless flowers, vibrant colour filling the massive plot of land that was the castle gardens. Hedgerows separated the garden into different sections and added some decorative flair; there was even a hedge maze off to the left. And standing proud in the centre was a large ornate water fountain topped with a mushroom bust.

As Bowsette gazed upon the gardens, Peach moved to her side, watching her reaction. "So, what do you think?" She asked with a proud smirk.

"They're beautiful," She replied. Gazing into Peach's shining blue eyes, she momentarily forgot herself, adding, "Almost as beautiful as you."

Bowsette's eyes popped immediately. _'Why did you say THAT?! Stupid! ...Wait, is Peach blushing?'_

Sure enough, there was a red tint to the princess's porcelain cheeks. "Thank you. Though you're quite beautiful yourself." She stepped forward, offering her arm to the koopa. "Shall we?"

Dazed, Bowsette looped her arm through Peach's, _'Peach thinks_ I'm _beautiful'_ playing over and over in her head, the thought overwhelming and unexpected to the point that she was struggling to believe it.

They walked in silence for a moment before Peach spoke up. "I like to come here to think, sometimes. Helps me clear my head." She paused for a moment before adding quietly, "I've been coming a lot lately."

"How come?" Bowsette asked, concerned by her walking companion's sullen tone.

"Oh," Peach perked up, not wanting the other woman to worry about her, "nothing too bad, just... Well, I guess I've been reconsidering a lot. Reconsidering how I view certain people."

"Oh." Bowsette said lamely. _'Is this about Mario? There was some tension between them at dinner yesterday; I thought they'd be planning their wedding by now.'_ It wasn't her place to ask – and it was certainly too forward to ask when they'd only 'met' yesterday – but Bowsette couldn't help herself.

"Is this about Mario?"

Peach shot her a look and seemed to be considering something before sighing. "Yes. It's just... Everyone expects Mario and me to fall in love and get married. And, not too long ago I thought that it might happen as well. But, then... something happened – last time Bowser kidnapped me – and... It made me see Mario differently, I suppose." She sighed again, looking at a floral arrangement off to the side. "And now? I don't know. We were never officially a _thing_ romantically, but now all the subtext is gone. And I much prefer just being friends with him, but..." She sighed again, pausing to collect her thoughts.

"But you don't know what to do now that you're not meant to be with Mario?"

"Yes!" Peach gave Bowsette a smile of thanks for helping put words to her thoughts, "I went so long thinking I was going to end up with him, that now I'm not sure what to do."

Bowsette pondered the problem for a moment before replying, "You don't need to do anything; just wait until the right person comes along."

Peach gave her an intense look. "I guess you're right."

Bowsette puffed out her chest at that. "I'm always right!" She declared.

A beautiful laugh was her reply. "I'll keep that in mind."

A beat passed between them, before Bowsette added jokingly – but secretly semi-seriously, "Or you could go marry Bowser."

The princess giggled at that, "That might be a step too far."

Bowsette nodded, glad that Peach realised she was joking; though she couldn't help the sting that the comment dealt to her heart – as silly as it was.

"That's the thing, though; he put so much effort into that wedding – even if he stole everything – trying to impress his captive who he was going to force to marry him anyway. I just don't understand that Koopa."

_'It's because I love you!'_ Bowsette – so desperately – wanted to shout, but she restrained herself.

"Perhaps he's more human than you think."

Bowsette supposed that statement was true in more than one respect now.

"Perhaps. I just hope he gets over this obsession he had with kidnapping me and finds some real happiness."

_'I hope so, too...'_

"Thank you, Bowsette; it's nice to talk to someone about this."

She smiled at the princess, "It's no problem."

The warmth behind the smile she gave her in return was enough to make her blush, so she turned her eyes forward, lest her face get any redder.

They continued around the garden for a while, admiring the flora and appreciating the peaceful atmosphere.

"So, how's your love life?"

The koopa was taken aback by the question – after all, they were technically just talking about it. "Oh, I don't have much luck there."

Peach seemed genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Bowsette hesitated to go into more detail; if she was ever outed, then she didn't want Peach to know that all of her romantic aspirations were all centred around her. That would be embarrassing.

She'd just have to be vague.

"Yeah. There was someone... but they never felt the same." Bowsette shook her head sadly. "I refused to accept it for so long, which just made it hurt more. Hurt us both."

The princess stopped walking, placing her hand on the koopa's arm and turning to face her fully. "I'm sorry. But if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. One day you'll find someone who loves you."

Bowsette nodded sadly. "I wasn't a good person for a long time. I think I turned all my sadness and self-hatred into anger, which I then turned on everyone. I guess I thought that if I could be with them, then I might be able to be happy – that their love would make me a better person." She shook her head, not entirely sure where all this was coming from and why she was telling Peach, but she felt as if she was able to finally put words to something she'd felt for a long time. "But I know now, that I need to stop pretending to be someone I'm not – or that I don't want to be – and be content with the things I _do_ have. Then, even if I don't find happiness, maybe I'll at least not be a bad person."

"Wow..." Peach muttered, in awe at the depth of the other woman's words. "You don't seem like a bad person to me; and Juni seems to think that you're a good mother."

"Juni deserves better than me." She said with a sad smile. "But, I'm trying to be a better mother; I will be the best parent I possibly can for him and that's the only purpose my life needs at the moment."

"Well," Peach started with a smile, stepping closer. "I'm sure you will be an amazing mother." Bowsette realised belatedly that the princess had brought their hands together between them. "And, I think, recognising and accepting your flaws makes you a better person than you think you are." She finished quietly.

With Peach this close, Bowsette couldn't help but get lost in her eyes. They stood at roughly the same height, though the princess was likely wearing heels, whereas the koopa wasn't. Still, standing at the same height as her was oddly satisfying.

They stood there, staring into each other's eyes, Bowsette starting to blush under the intensity of Peach's gaze.

"Your eyes are such a brilliant shade of red..." Peach whispered. They gravitated closer, until Peach jerked back slightly, a brilliant blush erupting on her cheeks. Bowsette just blinked a few times, confused.

_'Wait. What just happened?'_

Before she could ponder the answer to that question, Peach – having taken a step back – spoke up.

"Oh! I just remembered; Princess Daisy will be arriving tomorrow as we are having a karting tournament in two days, I'm sure she would like to meet you."

_'Damn...'_ Bowsette thought _'They_ are _having a karting tourney; even if they invited Bowser then I couldn't even participate like this.'_

"Also," Peach continued, "Do you have any karting experience? Because you are very welcome to participate as well."

_'YES!'_ "Oh, I'd love to! Can Juni join in too? He loves karting."

"Of course. I'll look forward to racing you two." There was a devious gleam in her eye that reminded her just how competitive the princess could get.

Bowsette couldn't help but grin in response. "It's on, Toadstool."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did ya think? I feel like the pacing for this part was maybe a bit off, but I'm really proud of it anyways.  
> (also, for me, the bottom not from the first chapter is appearing on every chapter other than the 2nd, so sorry about that.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last of the finished chapters so far! Hope you enjoy it!

They spent the rest of the morning in the garden, opting to track down Junior and Toadsworth at midday for a small lunch.

Toadsworth spent most of the meal telling the two women about the many topics that they had covered about the castle and Toadstool family; it was clearly a topic that he enjoyed, judging from how animated he was. Junior, on the other hand, seemed to be bored out of his mind. Peach and Bowsette shared a mirthful look at that, trying to hide their amusement.

They also spoke about the tournament, which Junior was happy to find out about, with him and Peach trading playful smack talk. Bowsette would have joined in – as she was going to _win_ , of course – but she was much more content to sit back and watch the two get along. She knew it was temporary, that it was built on a lie, but she couldn't help herself.

Maybe – she hoped – after everything was over, they could try and at least be friends?

* * *

After lunch, Bowsette took Junior off so that they could cover some of his normal schoolwork.

They went to her room and Junior – who seemed to be awfully smug the whole walk there – started speaking the second the door closed behind them.

"Mama! You and Peach were getting along really well! And you were smiling at each other all the time!"

She shouldn't have been surprised that he picked up on that, but she was none the less. "We did." She answered simply, not sure what to say, or what conclusions Junior would jump to.

He jumped up and down in excitement. Bowsette sat on the bed, preparing for potentially having to temper his enthusiasm; though Junior simply took it as an invitation to sit on her lap – one which he took gladly.

"Well, if she likes you, then maybe she'll want to be with you!" He declared like it was obvious, waving his hands in the air in triumph.

Much to his surprise, though, his enthusiasm was met with a sigh. "Junior, she doesn't like me that way and she never has. Besides, we don't know if she's... well, into women."

Junior pouted. "I saw the way you looked at each other. Anyway, you gotta at least try!"

"Even if she was interested in me," The thought alone made her blush, "She still doesn't know who I really am; you can't build a heathy relationship on lies."

He seemed to concede that point, though he was quick with another idea. "Well, you could become friends, then tell her who you are, then she might want to still be friends and then you could ask her to marry you!"

' _Darn. I thought we were over this.'_ "Junior, I can't. I'll tell her at some point and maybe she'll let us be friends – but we couldn't ever be together. There's too much in the way. We've been over this, Junior, we have to let Peach go." She couldn't help her mood souring at being reminded that she was destined to be alone.

"Peach deserves better than me, anyway." She added under her breath, so quiet that Junior didn't hear it.

The thought was one she had avoided for a long time, but she couldn't deny its truth. Peach was kind and undeniably good. Bowsette, on the other hand, was cruel and evil. Even if she had strived to change and be better, there was still a long and damning past weighing her down.

"Okay, Mama." Junior yielded, looking like he was feeling as down as she felt.

' _Great. Now I've ruined his mood.'_

"I'm sorry, kiddo," She whispered, hugging him, "But Peach deserves happiness, too."

I know, Mama." He replied, his voice muffled in her dress. "I just wish she could be happy with you."

"I do too, kiddo. I do too."

* * *

As she had dampened both of their early happiness – and subsequently all of their motivation for education – Bowsette let Junior have the afternoon off. Instead, they went out to the castle tennis court to play. There, they ran into Peach and Luigi already playing a match.

There was more than one court, but the two stopped their match and suggested playing doubles instead; Junior and Bowsette vs Luigi and Peach.

They eagerly accepted.

They played for about an hour, but between Junior's inexperience and Bowsette not being used to playing tennis with her smaller body, they were beaten by the powerhouse that was Luigi and Peach.

Never one to take losing well, Bowsette immediately protested. "I demand a rematch!"

Peach seemed slightly amused at the outburst, whereas Luigi looked slightly intimidated – though there was also an unreadable edge to his gaze.

"How about we change the teams? Luigi and Juni against you and I?"

Junior decided for all of them, when he ran over to the other side of the net, shouting, "I'm gonna beat you, Mama!"

The adults laughed, "You can try!" The koopa woman retorted.

Peach joined Bowsette, wishing the other two good luck as she went. Luigi turned to his new partner, "We-a can do this, kiddo!" He said confidently.

The match commenced, seemingly more evenly matched than the last. Bowsette was getting more used to playing with her new body and, though Junior was the most disadvantaged player – mostly due to height – it was evident that Luigi was the best out of the four. Though Peach was not as good as Luigi, she could definitely hold her own against him; she was better than her partner, though Bowsette would never admit it.

In the end, Luigi was proven wrong, when Peach and Bowsette reigned supreme – though only by a small margin.

"Ahh... Good match." Luigi puffed, out of breath.

They all took a seat at the side of the court, exhausted. They sat there, talking for a while, until a toad came along to tell them dinner was almost ready. With that, they parted ways to get cleaned up.

* * *

After dinner, Luigi gathered Mario and Peach to talk to them in private.

"What's wrong, Luigi?" Peach asked, concerned as to why he asked them here in secrecy.

He was quiet for a moment, considering his words carefully. "Do-a you two think there's-a... something off, about Bowsette?"

Mario nodded. "I-a don't trust her, she's hiding something."

Peach frowned, not liking where this was going. "What are you saying? She is entitled to keep secrets from us; we barely know her." She crossed her arms, giving the brothers a hard look.

Luigi backtracked slightly at the edge to Peach's tone. "Ahh, I mean, she's-a nice enough, I just think there's-a something she's not telling us."

The princess's gaze softened, "Yes, I think you're right and I get the impression it's something important. However, she has done nothing wrong so far, so I see no reason to demand any answers."

Mario remained sceptical. "I don't-a know..."

"Well, she's a guest in my castle and I will treat her as such; keep your suspicions to yourselves." She said softly, but with an authoritative tone.

"Right." Luigi said, Mario nodding along with him – albeit with a slight reluctance. "Maybe we should see what Daisy thinks?"

"Maybe." Peach agreed. "But let her come to her own conclusions; we don't want to alienate Bowsette unnecessarily. I think she's been through a lot already."

The brothers agreed and the three parted ways, concluding their meeting.

* * *

Breakfast the next day was a quiet affair.

The Mario brothers were not present – likely they were at their own home. So, Peach, Bowsette and Junior dined alone, sharing light conversation over their meal.

Luigi arrived soon afterwards – in anticipation of Princess Daisy's arrival – and Bowsette stuck around only long enough to greet him before leaving with Junior to catch up on his schoolwork.

They were discussing the finer points of Koopa history – with Bowsette pointing out all of the shortcomings of past rulers, and how she was better than them – when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Opening it, she was greeted by a toad, "Good day, Miss Bowsette. Princess Peach requests yours and young Juni's presence in the throne room as soon as is convenient."

"Oh, thank you." She replied, to which he gave a bow, dismissing himself.

"What's going on, Mama?" Junior asked.

"Come on, Junior, Peach wants to see us."

* * *

They packed away their learning materials and set off for the throne room.

It had been the site of many kidnappings, so going there by request was a peculiar experience. Though, she could apply that thought to most things that had happened to her recently.

The room itself was one of the more extravagant rooms in the castle. Being the room from which the monarch rules and greets official guests, most throne rooms were intimidating and awe-inspiring in equal measure; though – being a more peaceful kingdom – Peach's throne room was not nearly as intimidating as Bowsette's, with its coal black walls and blood red furnishings. Hers was more welcoming with light blues, whites and golds.

Still, even though she knew that she was likely only being summoned to 'meet' Daisy, she couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved. It was another person that she would be lying to, and all the lies were starting to get to her.

With a quiet sigh to herself, she pushed through one of the side doors into the throne room, Junior following behind her.

Peach was stood in front of her throne, listening to an animated Daisy. Luigi was stood next to Daisy, holding her hand while gazing at her with a look of utter adoration and Mario was stood off to the opposite side; still within talking distance, but likely avoiding getting too involved in the conversation. Toadsworth was also stood a short distance away, watching the group interact.

Daisy had reached a pause in whatever she was telling the blonde princess, when the two koopas approached the dais. Catching sight of them, Peach called out in greeting.

"Ah, Bowsette! Juni!" Everyone turned to face the two new arrivals, "I'd like to introduce you to Princess Daisy of Sarasaland." She then turned to the other princess, "Daisy, this is Bowsette and her son, Juni."

"Nice to meet you, Princess Daisy." Bowsette said cordially, while Junior simply waved. Much like the other inhabitants of the room, past interactions with Daisy were not positive. The tomboyish princess had never been intimidated by her previous self and had never hesitated to make it known.

"And you, Bows _ette_. Juni." Daisy said with similar formality, though there was suspicion in her glare as her eyes darted between the two koopas.

"We were just telling Daisy how you saved Toadsworth, Bows-"

"Bowsette, huh?" Daisy interrupted the other princess, stepping off of the dais to stand nose to nose with the koopa woman.

Bowsette gulped.

"Was that really the best name you could come up with, _Bowser?_ "

Bowsette physically recoiled, taking a step back. Panic started to set in. A sickly feeling settled in her stomach upon hearing her old name. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she didn't dare look.

"W-What?" She stuttered out, completely caught off-guard.

Daisy closed the distance between them again, poking her finger at the koopa's chest. "I was suspicious when I heard that you were taking a break. Then, someone – a mysterious koopa woman – just _happens_ to be there at the right time to rescue a kidnapped Toadsworth? No, I'm not buying it." She crossed her arms, glaring at Bowsette. "You staged that kidnapping, didn't you?"

"I. _What._ " Bowsette's jaw hardened, her shock quickly being replaced by anger. She squared her shoulders, returning the princess's gaze with equal ferocity.

"How _dare_ you!" She shouted, "I was minding my own business when _my son_ was kidnapped! I may not have the best record, _Daffodil_ , but Junior was in danger. That was _real_. Hell, I didn't even _want_ to come here, I just wanted to get back to putting my life back together!"

The heat of Bowsette's anger gave Daisy momentary pause, until her mind ticked over what she had said. " _Junior_..." She muttered, before her aggression came back full-force. "So you _are_ Bowser!"

' _Damn.'_ Bowsette let out a breath, though it sounded more like a growl. "Yes."

"Bowser!?" Mario gasped and Bowsette finally let herself look at the other residents of the room. Mario and Toadsworth were the most shocked, the revelation clearly having been completely unexpected. Peach and Luigi, on the other hand – though also shocked – seemed almost like they thought that the whole thing now made sense. Peach was staring at Bowsette intently, something else in her expression that she couldn't decipher. She looked away after a moment, her lingering anger starting to turn into shame.

Junior, however, saw this whole thing as an opportunity. "Mama Peach!" He called, running past Daisy to the pink clad princess, leaping into her arms.

"Oh!" Peach quickly caught the young koopa, holding him as he clung to her torso. "Hey, Junior..."

The tension in the room dissipated slightly at that, and Bowsette couldn't help but smile at the sight of Peach holding Junior.

"What are you-a planning, Bowser!?" Mario called, stepping forward, poised for a fight.

"I'm not _planning_ anything," She huffed. "I came to the Mushroom Kingdom to lie low for a while, then Junior was kidnapped and you know the rest. I didn't plan this for some scheme; I'm telling the truth."

"You did do a number on those-a kidnappers..." Luigi pointed out, adding credence to her argument. Mario and Daisy seemed to mull on that, while Peach spoke up.

"Everything you said yesterday, was it true?" The princess was still looking at her with that same intensity, but this time Bowsette didn't look away.

"It was."

Peach simply nodded in response, looking thoughtful whilst swaying with Junior still in her arms.

Having seemingly placated everyone enough to not be attacked, Bowsette did the only thing she could think to do now that she had been outed.

"Peach," She began, catching the blonde's attention again. "Thank you for having us here, but maybe it's best if we go. We'll get out of your hair."

Junior raised his head to look at his mother, his face distraught.

It hurt to do it, but they were found out, so they had to go. Maybe – one day, when Peach sees that she's not going to kidnap her anymore – then they can try and be friends. But now? They just needed to return to their cabin and wait for things to return to normal.

Whatever normal was now.

"Wait!" Peach interrupted her thoughts.

"Please, don't feel that you have to leave, you're still welcome to stay." She said, warmth in her gaze. "Besides, there's still the karting tournament tomorrow and you said you'd participate."

"What?!" Daisy shouted, turning to the other princess so fast, Bowsette was surprised she didn't get whiplash. Similarly, Mario stepped forward, a look of clear disapproval on his face. "You can't keep _him_ here! We don't know if he's lying!"

Peach was ready with a calm rebuke, but – much to her surprise – Toadsworth beat her to the punch.

"Perhaps. However – even if Bowsette has done many horrible things in the past – she still rescued me and hasn't done anything bad during her stay here. Besides, we've always invited the Koopas to our karting tournaments; it would simply be rude to kick them out now."

Daisy seemed flabbergasted, having fully expected Toadsworth to take her side. A glance behind to her side also told her that Mario seemed to realise this was a losing battle; loosening his shoulders with a look of reluctant acquiescence.

Frantic for support, she turned to her boyfriend. "Luigi?!"

He simply shrugged. "A-Bowsette seemed pretty nice these past two days, maybe she's-a changed?"

Daisy groaned in anguish, throwing her head back in annoyance. "Fine! I give up."

Junior cheered.

* * *

Having had her fill of awkwardness and hostility, Bowsette tried to leave the group under the guise of finishing Junior's lesson, but Peach stopped her before she could finish talking.

So now, they were in a sitting room, with some tea, so that Bowsette could explain what exactly was going on.

They sat in silence for a moment, everyone looking at Bowsette expectantly while she pretended to be oblivious, savouring her tea. It felt like an interrogation to her, with everyone sat across from her – Junior included, as he had opted to sit as close as he possibly could to Peach without actually sitting on her lap.

"Well?" Daisy asked, voice laced with irritation.

"Hmm?" Bowsette continued to feign ignorance, further annoying the princess.

"Why are you a woman?"

"That's a strange question to ask, why are _you_ a woman?" Bowsette smirked.

"Bowsette... You know what she means." Peach glared disapprovingly.

"Alright." She straightened up, putting down her tea. "Kamek was working on this experimental power-up he was showing me, it blew up, hit me and some other science stuff, and here I am."

"And it's-a permanent?" Mario asked.

"Yeah, Kamek is working on a way to reverse it, though."

"So then why did you go into hiding?" Peach asked.

Bowsette did a double take, "I can't rule like this, no one would take me seriously!"

Everyone present looked confused at that. "Why not?"

"Wha- I'm meant to be intimidating, scary! I can't achieve that and be beautiful at the same time!"

That just draws more confusion and an embarrassed Luigi, who muttered: "I thought you were pretty intimidating..."

"Now I may not be the best versed in Koopa politics," Peach started, a scrutinizing glint in her eye, "But I'm pretty sure that the solidity of your rule is based on a lot more than your intimidation factor."

Bowsette blanched at that. _'What are they getting at?'_ Bowsette knew that Peach was right, but she couldn't find it in herself to risk it; it felt like facing the world like this was more than simply facing the world in a woman's body – like she was baring something deep within herself. A vulnerability that she was afraid to expose. But for the life of her, she couldn't understand why she felt like that.

"Well, it was a good excuse to take a break, anyway..." She finished lamely, not sure how to retort Peach's point without exposing feelings that even _she_ didn't understand.

Most of the group still had confusion in their gaze, but Peach and Luigi seemed to regard her with sympathy.

"So... Do you want us to call you Bowser or Bowsette, now?" Daisy asked after an awkward silence.

"Bowsette, please." She replied with a sheepish smile, trying to pretend she wasn't blushing.

"Alright," The princess said with a nod. "Bowsette it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now Daisy's here and the secret is out! But Bowsette and Junior haven't been kicked out! I hope you enjoyed it! And I'd love to hear what you think or what you enjoyed/think could be improved!  
> (Now you folks gotta wait for the next one! Assuming anyone will read this that hasn't already seen it on FFN...)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, ho! First new update to AO3! (Also uploaded on FFN, just seconds ago!)

Eventually, Bowsette and Junior managed to finish their earlier lesson, after leaving everyone else to do whatever it was they normally did when their greatest adversary was a welcomed guest in the same building as them.

Junior was initially reluctant to leave Peach's side – a feeling that Bowsette could very much sympathise with – but otherwise the rest of their lesson went according to plan.

Bowsette left Junior in his room, only to be met outside with a castle servant.

"Miss Bowsette! Princess Peach has asked to see you as soon as you're available?"

The Toad led the way, taking the koopa woman out the back of the castle, where the princess was sat reading a book. She looked up as the two approached, meeting Bowsette's gaze with a smile.

The servant took their leave after the princess thanked them, leaving the two alone.

"Bowsette." Peach greeted warmly.

"Uhh. Hey, Princess." Bowsette greeted in return, still feeling awkward from earlier.

Peach replaced her bookmark and set the book aside, patting the spot next to her.

Bowsette silently took the offer, sitting next to the blonde.

"I'm sorry, Peach."

A puzzled look was her reply. "What for?"

She shrugged. "Well, a lot, I suppose. Like I said, I've done a lot of bad things. But, mostly for kidnapping you. Lots. And forcing you to marry me. Lots. And... Everything on The Moon. I've caused a lot of damage for my pride and ego, and I'm sorry for that."

Peach gave her a look that sat somewhat between scrutinising and sympathetic.

"You really are trying to change, aren't you?"

Bowsette nodded sadly. "I, umm, guess I'm also sorry for not telling you that I'm... W-well, me."

Peach chuckled. "That's alright, I understand why you did it." A beat passed before she continued. "I had my suspicions, though; I knew I'd seen those eyes before."

Bowsette blushed. "I thought that you didn't look that surprised when I admitted it. Luigi too."

She nodded. "Yes, Luigi, Mario and I all had our suspicions that there was something about you. We didn't tell Daisy; though it seems she came to her own conclusion."

Bowsette hmmed, not needing to be reminded of earlier.

"So, how are you finding being a woman? You seem to be coping well." There was a knowing glint in the princess's eye.

"O-oh... Umm. O-okay, I guess..." Bowsette stuttered. Inside, though, it felt better than okay. But she didn't understand it; why did it bring her such a feeling of happiness and contentment? She didn't dare voice that, though.

Peach smirked at the flustered woman. "Well, if you need any help with feminine things, then you can always ask me."

"Thanks, Peach."

The princess fixed her with a look, "But seriously, any _feminine_ issue; don't panic, you can ask me."

"O-oh!" Bowsette exclaimed, realising what she was referring to. "I've got that covered. B-but I'll keep that in mind if anything unexpected happens." She finished, blushing furiously.

Laughing at her flustered state, Peach gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I'm happy to help."

"Anyway, Daisy and Luigi wanted to know if we wanted to play tennis against them later; I think Luigi was looking forward to a rematch."

"Ha! Guess we'll have to beat him again, huh?"

Peach turned to her, suddenly very serious. "Bowsette, I'm not sure you understand; Daisy and Luigi are both amazing at tennis. Together, they are almost unbeatable. We _will_ lose."

Bowsette dismissed the princess's uncharacteristic defeatism. "Ah, we'll be fine."

* * *

As it turns out, they were _not_ fine.

Daisy and Luigi were a powerhouse of tennis, that – despite their best efforts – they could not hope to stand against.

They played a few short games before an annoyed Bowsette reached her limit.

"I'm done!" She shouted, throwing down her racket. "Clearly you're cheating!"

Daisy smirked victoriously, before giving Luigi a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush. "We can't help that we're better than you." She said dismissively.

"Wha-! I'll show you who's better!" The koopa turned to her partner. "Peach, we've gotta beat 'em!"

Peach gently put her hand on the other woman's shoulder, fixing her with a look like she was about to tell a kid that they didn't have any presents on their birthday. "Bowsette. We've lost. We can't win. I know you want to beat them, but we're just not good enough."

Bowsette wanted to retort, but Peach was clearly tired after those short but demanding games. "Fine." She faced her opposition. "You win. _This time._ "

Daisy simply chuckled, shaking her head as she moved to grab a bottle of water, throwing one over her shoulder for Luigi.

"Don't worry, Bowsette, there's always tomorrow's karting tournament."

The koopa perked up at the reminder. "Ha ha! Yes! I'll beat you in that! I'll beat all of you!"

Peach, who had also gotten a bottle of water, handed one to her partner. "No you won't." She said sweetly, the spark in her eye betraying her seriousness.

"Oh yeah?" She waved her bottle around dramatically. "We'll see about _that_ , Toadstool."

The princess cocked her eyebrow, an arrogant grin on her face. "That we will, Koopa." They stared each other down for a moment before she added, "How about, if you win, you can kidnap me whenever you want?"

Bowsette frowned, looking slightly hurt. "I don't want to kidnap you anymore, Peach; I don't want you to be forced to be around me if you don't want to."

Peach lost her grin and rested her hand on Bowsette's upper arm. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that; I was only joking."

Bowsette shook her head, annoyed that she had ruined the light-hearted mood. "I know... I'm just-" She sighed. "Sorry, I guess I'm just surprised that you don't... hate me, after everything."

The princess lifted Bowsette's chin so that their eyes could meet. "I don't hate you." She reassured her, "I've always known you weren't entirely bad – you could be quite sweet sometimes – so I'm happy that you're... trying to be better."

Bowsette blushed slightly at being called sweet and Peach took that as a cue to give the koopa woman a hug. "Thank you." Bowsette muttered, warmth pooling in her chest at the hug. She hoped the princess couldn't feel her heart rate skyrocket, but if she could she didn't say anything.

She was in the arms of the woman she loved. Even if the feeling wasn't mutual, Bowsette still couldn't help but break into a grin.

Their two forgotten audience members exchanged a look of amusement over the scene, unbeknownst to Bowsette and Peach.

Pulling back, the princess gave the koopa woman another smile. "I'm still going to beat you, though."

* * *

"Mama Peach!"

After their tennis match, Peach and the others sat by the courts for a while, before going their separate ways with the promise to see each other at dinner. Peach was on her way to her study to finish some paperwork, when Junior's unmistakable voice called her name from behind.

"Hey Junior." She greeted, as the koopa kid skidded to a stop in front of her. "What's up?"

"Mama Peach! Are you busy? I wanted to spend some time with you."

That stack of paperwork wasn't going to finish itself, but it certainly wasn't anything that couldn't wait. Besides, Junior didn't get many opportunities to spend time with Peach outside of a kidnapping situation.

Though – despite that dynamic – the two had often gotten along quite well; Peach didn't mind him treating her as mother figure – it was oddly humbling, in fact.

"Oh, nothing that can't wait. Come on, do you want to help me feed the Chain Chomps?"

"Yeah!"

The two collected some food for the chomps and went to courtyard behind the castle where the chomps were securely kept.

Usually they were dangerous, but the ones kept on the castle grounds were much tamer than the normal chomp – not that they'd be going close enough to be within biting range anyway – Peach was sure that Bowsette would be fine with her taking Junior.

They spoke about the chomps for a while, while feeding them, before Peach asked a question that had been on her mind. "So, Junior, how have you been with everything that's happened with you and your Mama lately?"

Junior scrunched up his face – which Peach thought looked adorable – while he considered the question. "I've been okay. Coming to the Mushroom Kingdom has been fun and so has staying at your castle," He gave her a smile of appreciation, "Being kidnapped was weird, but Mama saved me, so I'm okay!"

Peach chuckled at his enthusiasm. "But what about your Mama being a woman now?"

"Oh! I'm okay with that; I like having two Mamas! Besides, she's been a lot happier since she changed – though I'm not sure why."

He seemed to think on that while Peach nodded; she had thought that was the case also. Seemingly not finding a satisfying answer, he voiced another observation. "You also make Mama happier, Mama Peach."

He looked up at her with hopeful eyes, tugging at the blonde's heart strings.

"Well, I've certainly enjoyed spending time with her recently." She replied, avoiding addressing what Junior had really meant with that statement.

He hummed. It wasn't the answer that he was looking for, but he wasn't quite sure how to voice it. "Mama says that we can't kidnap you anymore." He said instead, moving onto the next subject.

Peach smirked at that. She couldn't help but find it oddly endearing that Bowsette was trying to teach Junior that he shouldn't kidnap the princess after years of teaching him the opposite. Still, she couldn't help but detect disappointment in his tone; like he thought that he wouldn't see her if they didn't kidnap her.

"I'll appreciate not being kidnapped and perhaps it will give me the opportunity to visit you two voluntarily."

"You'd come see us anyway?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course," She said, knowing that he would certainly hold her to that, "I don't see why not, if I don't have to worry about not being allowed to leave." Truth be told, even in the early days, Peach had never been under any threat as Bowsette's captive; she had always been treated more like an honoured guest that just wasn't allowed to leave – at least until Mario arrived. So, being able to go to the Koopa Kingdom without being a captive was something that Peach was quite looking forward to.

"Yay!" Junior cheered. "Oh! Mama hasn't taken you to the castle in ages; I finished my model of the castle! I can't wait to show it to you!"

Despite Bowsette's many self-proclaimed faults as a parent, inhibiting Junior's creative outlets was not one of them. He enjoyed making models of various things and – last Peach was at the castle – his latest project was a model of the Koopa castle.

"Oh!" Peach exclaimed, "I look forward to seeing it; your models are ever so good!"

The koopa kid blushed at that. "Thanks, Mama Peach." He mumbled, grinning bashfully.

Peach simply smiled back, ruffling his red hair.

* * *

"A-Bowsette."

At the sound of the familiar voice, the koopa woman turned immediately. His tone was cautious and confrontational, which she carefully reciprocated.

"Mario."

He scrutinised her as he stepped closer, as if trying to assess if he needed to treat her as a threat.

"If-a you try anything, I'll-a stop you."

She rolled her eyes at his typical heroic response.

"Yeah, well, you could try. Besides, you've got nothing to worry about there; I'm out of the princess-kidnapping business."

He quirked an eyebrow at that. "Yeah? Why's a-that?"

Bowsette huffed, not too keen on showing a softer side to her nemesis. "I've had a change of heart. I'm trying to focus more on my family; on making sure Junior is happy."

"Oh." Mario replied dumbly, clearly assessing what that meant for him.

"So, you won't need to save Peach anymore. Hopefully." Even if she wasn't going to kidnap her anymore, there was always the chance that someone else could, she supposed.

"Well-a, perhaps that's for the best, after last time." He muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Afterwards, Peach wasn't too happy with-a me, I don't think. I'm not-a sure I have a chance with her." He shrugged sadly, "I'm-a not really sure what I did wrong."

Bowsette deadpanned at that. "Seriously?" She shook her head, fixing the plumber with a serious look. "You'd just saved her from a forced marriage, so your reaction is to try and fight me for Peach's hand? Like she's some sort of prize to be won? Like she owes it to you for rescuing her?"

"What!?" He gasped, stunned. "That's-a not how I meant it! I mean, it was-a impulsive, but..." He sighed, looking at the ground. "Maybe you're... Maybe you're-a right..."

"Trust me; I've had a lot of time to think about what happened. Peach deserves better than us two."

He grimaced slightly at that, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. I'm-a not sure she's interested in me anymore, anyway."

Bowsette smiled sympathetically. "Maybe it's for the best."

He nodded, meeting her gaze again. "Guess we-a won't be fighting anymore?"

The koopa laughed, "Ha, are you kidding! Did you forget about the tourney tomorrow? I'm gonna thrash you!"

He grinned, a competitive fire growing in his eyes. "Not a chance, Bowsette!"

* * *

Following his conversation with Bowsette, Mario had thought on his actions; she was right, he treated Peach like a prize – they both had. Perhaps his chances with her were ruined, but he still needed apologise. Perhaps that would remove the lingering awkwardness between them.

It was convenient, then, when he happened upon Peach and Junior returning to the castle through one of the back doors.

The two were parting ways – evidently having spent a while together – and Junior rushed off to find his mother, calling goodbye as he went.

Peach saw him off with a smile, before turning her head and seeing Mario approach. "Peach. Can I-a speak to you?"

The princess's lingering smile faded at the serious tone. "Of course, Mario. Come; we can talk in my study."

They walked into the study, shutting the door behind them. Peach stood in front of the desk, facing the plumber, who was awkwardly stood just in front of the door.

"Is everything okay, Mario?" She asked, concerned that something was amiss. The plumber was never one to open up easily, so his skittishness seemed to indicate that this was for a personal matter.

He sighed, removing his hat, only to run his hand through his hair. "Peach, I-ahh... I-a was talking to Bowsette earlier, about The Moon..."

He trailed off, seemingly collecting his thoughts. Peach herself wasn't sure what to think; they'd never discussed what happened on The Moon, so it was quite unexpected that he'd bring it up now. Besides, why was he talking to _Bowsette_ about it? She was surprised that the two managed get along well enough to talk about something that was so clearly a sensitive topic to all three of them.

"Oh?" She prompted, hoping to break his silence.

"She-a helped me realise... That I – well we – treated you like something to be won, not-a like a person. Proposing was wrong, and I see that now... and, I'm-a sorry, Peach. Can we move past this and still be friends?"

Mario met her eyes and she could see that he was truly sorry. She was glad that he had finally seen why she felt so slighted – though that was apparently with help – and that they could finally get rid of this... tension between them.

"I forgive you, Mario." She said with a smile "I would very much like to still be friends."

"I don't know if I deserve it, but-a thank you."

A silence passed between them, but it wasn't awkward like they usually had been recently; the tension between them was lifting and they could finally start to move past the mess on The Moon.

"Well, now that we've sorted that, I believe dinner will be soon. Will you be joining us?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one! I'd love to hear what you thought!  
> (It seems the end notes that I thought I put for the first chapter just appears on the end of the most recent chapter, so if I can't get rid of that and it's still there, please disregard it.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, sorry it's been so long (and that this chapter is kinda short), I've just been a bit slow and struggling to write parts of this. I'm over some hart to write scenes, so hopefully the next update will be sooner. Hope you enjoy!

Dinner the night before had went really well, Bowsette mused. Everyone was present and there seemed to be very little awkwardness. Mario and Bowsette were starting to get on after their talk earlier and the tension between Mario and Peach seemed to have gone completely. Daisy still seemed unsure of the koopa woman and Luigi was a bit awkward – or was he always like that? – but it was nothing major.

So, the next day, she had awoken ready for the day ahead. Which would serve her well, as it was the day of the tourney.

Shortly after she had awoken, Junior had burst into her room, excited to get ready for the day ahead. They got ready and promptly went to have breakfast with the others.

After the meal, where everyone was feeling particularly competitive – except for Luigi, though Daisy was reassuring him he'd do well – the group headed down to Mario Motors to sort their karts or bikes.

Mario Motors always had a wide selection of vehicles to choose from, which helped racers choose one that best suited them and to ensure that everyone was on even ground; after all, if they all used their own karts and customised them themselves, then Peach, Daisy and Bowsette would always have an edge purely from being the richest members of the group.

So, they all chose and adequately modified their vehicles – to specification – and set off for the track.

* * *

They raced into the evening, across various different tracks, trading competitive smack talk between races.

Throughout it all, Bowsette was relieved at how naturally they became at ease with each other. When they raced before, they still got along to an extent – though, with Mario and Bowsette, it was more that they tolerated each other – but there was a reservedness there, that wasn't present anymore.

She was glad for it, not just for herself, but for Junior too; he seemed to be getting along well with Luigi and Daisy, on top of his already good relationship with Peach. She'd be giddy if she didn't have a reputation to maintain.

Her happiness from that, however, didn't manage to hold back her annoyance at not winning.

"No fair!" The koopa woman screamed as she crossed the final finish line, seconds after Peach.

"I won!" The princess declared as she dismounted her bike, with a sweetness and surprise that _had_ to be fake.

Peach, Bowsette and Mario had been fighting for first place for the whole tourney, with only a few points between them. In the end, however, Peach came first, with Bowsette in second, then Mario, Daisy, Junior and Luigi.

Bowsette grumbled in annoyance, but her attention was drawn to the scene beside her.

"Congratz, Kiddo! You beat me!" Luigi cheered, patting Junior on the back.

"Yeah!" The koopa bounced with joy, "Thanks Mr Luigi, that was fun!"

Daisy chucked at the two, linking hands with Luigi. "Maybe next time you'll beat me, eh?"

The three carried on chatting, but Bowsette turned her attention to Peach and Mario, who were stood not far from her.

"Congratulations, Peach!"

"Yeah, congratulations, Peach – but I'll beat you next time; I'm still getting used to this body, so next time I'll have mastered it!"

The two rolled their eyes at her.

"Well, we'll see about that. But thank you both."

"You showed them, Peach!" Daisy chimed in, the three joining the conversation.

"Yeah! I knew you'd win, Mama Peach!" Junior added, much to Bowsette's shock.

"Wait, _what?!_ You knew _she'd_ win?! You're meant to root for me!"

Junior crossed his arms, looking off indifferently. "Well, sometimes who I support changes after being hit by a red shell."

Bowsette shook her head, grumbling. Everyone else simply chuckled at the two.

"Well, then. Shall we have dinner?"

* * *

Dinner was much livelier than usual. Everyone was still riding the adrenaline rush from racing, which meant that everyone was much louder than usual. The waitstaff didn't seem to mind; though the Koopa's didn't usually stay for the meal after the tourney – they weren't usually invited – the rest of the group was probably this excited normally, without the extra two.

Everyone was enjoying themselves, it seemed. Bowsette in particular was happy to be spending time with the group. Most of her "friends" were usually little more than either underlings or temporary partners in crime. To be able to let loose like this with others was a luxury she seldom had the opportunity to enjoy. It filled her with an unfamiliar warmth. She sat quietly for a moment – in her seat to the left of Peach, with Junior on her own left – simply allowing herself to treasure the moment as Luigi got uncharacteristically excited while talking about his most recent encounter with some meddlesome Boos.

Her reverie was broken, however, by a gentle tap on her right arm.

Turning her head, she met Peach's concerned gaze.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, not wanting to draw attention or interrupt Luigi's tale.

Bowsette simply smiled a big, warm, stupid grin. "Never been better."

Peach returned the smile with one of her own.

Bowsette would always treasure that smile.

* * *

That night, Bowsette once again found herself looking at herself in the mirror.

She'd been so happy over the past few days, and she should be enjoying it. But she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her head. The feeling that told her that this was all temporary.

She sighed, running her hand through her hair. _'Why can't I ever just be happy? Why's there always a catch?_

' _Why can't I just always be like this?'_

Bowsette met her own eyes as they bulged slightly in surprise. The thought caught her by surprise, though it wasn't entirely unexpected – similar thoughts had been popping up from time to time, but this was the first time they were so well articulated.

A look of pained confusion crossed the face staring back at her. _'What does it mean?'_

* * *

"Heya, Bowsette, what's wrong?"

The koopa in question raised her head at the question, rubbing her eyes before facing the voice.

"Tired." She groaned.

Daisy sat down across from her. "Oh? How come?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Daisy laughed, "Yeah, I figured."

Bowsette looked on semi-vacantly. Before she could drop her head back onto the table, however, Daisy spoke up again.

"Seriously, are you alright? There was something I wanted to talk to you about."

The koopa attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Hmmm..." She groaned, "I guess so; my thoughts kept my up all night. What did you want to ask?"

The princess sat forward resting her elbows on the table, fixing Bowsette with a serious look.

"I wanted to talk to you about Peach."

A mildly annoyed eyebrow quirked in response. "I thought I'd established that I wasn't going to kidnap her anymore?"

Daisy gave a wan smile, "I know, and I'm starting to believe you; that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Bowsette slowly perked up, fixing the princess with a quizzical, and mildly concerned, look. "What did you want to talk about, then?"

A scrutinising blue-eyed gaze is all that answered her.

"What? Is-is Peach alright?" Bowsette pressed, a hint of worry in her voice.

"She's fine." Daisy replied, her gaze softening. "You really like her, don't you?"

"W-what?!" Bowsette stuttered, "I-I don't know what you mean."

Daisy smirked. "Alright, you don't have to admit it – besides, it's pretty darn obvious at this point." The smirk faded, as the princess's face again morphed into a more serious one. "But, listen: I know all of us have gotten on the past few days – and maybe you're not as bad as I thought you were – but I'm still a long way from trusting you."

That stung slightly, but Bowsette couldn't deny that it was much better than she deserved.

"That said," Daisy continued, "Peach's thoughts are not mine and she's certainly starting to warm up to you – so if you hurt her, I will break every bone in your body. Twice."

Bowsette gulped.

"And know, that I'll be keeping a close eye on you until I feel I can trust you better."

"O-okay. I'd-uhh, I'd never hurt Peach, not again. Not intentionally." Bowsette felt a burst of hope and determination burst in her chest. "I know I've been a terrible person in the past, but I'm trying to move past that; no more being a villain, I'm just going to focus on being a good person and a good parent to Junior."

Daisy nodded, apparently convinced. "Alright, I think I believe you; luckily for you, Luigi seems to really think that you're a new person – Peach too."

Bowsette nodded, trying and failing to hold back her grin at the faith that both Peach and Luigi seemed to have in her.

"Just make sure that you're being genuine." Bowsette raised an eyebrow at that. "Make sure that Peach is seeing the real you."

Before either of them could continue, Junior and Luigi walked in, apparently taking about the best way to eat Cheep Cheeps. Luigi met Bowsette's gaze, giving her a knowing thumbs up before Daisy strode up to him to kiss his cheek and wish him good morning.

While Junior rushed up to her, giving her a morning hug, Bowsette couldn't help but wonder what the last five minutes were about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda sad I missed the two year anniversary of Bowsette...


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! I was hoping to get this chapter out about a month after the previous, but I guess I lost track of time (what even is time, this year?). It's a longer one, hope you enjoy!

The rest of the week passed without major event. Daisy decided to remain for longer than usual and everyone insisted that the Koopas stick around for a while.

So the group still met for most meals, enjoying various activities such as golf and tennis. Bowsette relaxed a bit and just allowed herself to be happy, even though there was still that nagging feeling in the back of her head – and she couldn't help but ponder what Daisy was referring to when she said about showing Peach her real self.

On that note, her and Peach were getting along well, much better than they ever had before – turns out, relationships grow better and healthier without a kidnaper/kidnap-ee power dynamic.

Bowsette was glad that the two were managing to at least be friends after everything they had gone through. Peach had even – enlisting the help of Daisy – managed to get the koopa woman to agree to letting her style her hair and give her help with makeup. Bowsette struggled to hide how much she had enjoyed that, though some of the makeup was a bit too much for her tastes – she preferred a more minimalistic approach for the day-to-day.

It hadn't all been rosy, of course. There were times when the guilt or confusing feelings would overwhelm her, and she needed a moment to sort through her thoughts.

Now was one of those times. Bowsette had been looking at pictures in the gallery, one of them was of Peach's castle damaged, evidently from one of her more... grandiose kidnapping attempts. It was clearly meant to be there as a symbol of the kingdom's recovery, but Bowsette couldn't focus on that.

Dark thoughts swirled in her mind and she rushed from the room, quickly ducking into one of the side rooms.

It was a small sitting room with cushioned seats surrounding an elegant coffee table; though Bowsette didn't care about any of that right now, all that mattered was that it was empty. She hid round the back of the loveseat, curling into a ball as thoughts of her past deeds, her strange feelings on her current situation and the uncertainty of her future assaulted her all at once.

She sat there for a while, trying to manage the weight as tears stung her eyes.

Apparently, her rushing had not gone unnoticed as a voice interrupted her turmoil.

"Bowsette? What's wrong?"

The koopa looked up, aghast at having been found. "P-Peach?! What are you doing here?"

The princess, who was stood a few steps away, moved to sit next to the troubled woman. "I was just passing when I saw you rush in here." She said softly. "You looked upset."

Bowsette sniffed, looking at her hands. "I'm okay."

Peach carefully grasped one of her hands, rubbing it softly. "No you're not."

"But I don't know why," Bowsette groaned, "I'm happier than I ever remember being." She vaguely gestured to her current situation, "most of the time, at least."

Peach scooted closer, pulling the taller woman to her chest, stoking her hair soothingly. "You must have some idea what's wrong?"

"I don't know... I guess I'm afraid that all of this will end soon and I'll go back to my old life. Alone."

"What do you mean? What will end?" Peach asked, with a peculiar emphasis that Bowsette couldn't decipher.

The koopa woman pulled back from the blonde's embrace, confused. "Well, this. Our friendship, getting along with everyone else and me being-" Bowsette cut herself off. "...me being happy."

Peach smiled knowingly and pulled Bowsette into a hug. "Well, I'll certainly still be your friend and I think everyone else likely will as well. As to your happiness," Peach pulled back, resting her hands on the koopa's shoulders and staring deeply into her eyes. "There's always time to figure out what truly makes you happy, to understand how you're happiest. Don't feel you have to rush it; no matter what, I'll still be here."

Bowsette sighed. "Maybe you're right, but why does it not feel that way?"

The princess moved down the koopa's arms, stopping at her hands. "Maybe you're just over-thinking it?" Bowsette hummed neutrally, clearly not convinced. "Well, the Toad Parade is in a few days. We can celebrate that and maybe that'll help take your mind off things?"

Bowsette met the princess's hopeful look, "Sounds fun." She said with a tentative smile.

* * *

After Peach had mentioned it, Bowesette started to notice the preparations that were going on around Toad Town and the castle. Stalls and decorations were being put up around the town and castle servants were making sure that every room was spotless.

Peach herself was also slightly busier in the lead up to the Toad Parade, meaning that Bowsette couldn't spend as much time with her. The koopa woman didn't mind too much, however, as she spent the extra time with her son and sometimes with Daisy, Mario or Luigi.

On the day of the parade itself, Bowsette wasn't quite sure what was in store for her. She remembered Daisy mentioning that Peach held a ball in the castle in the evening after the parade itself, but other than that she was purely at the mercy of Peach's guidance.

Breakfast consisted of just her and Junior – as everyone else was busy or would meet them at the parade – with Toadsworth coming in afterwards to inform the two that the princess would meet them after they had gotten ready and they would walk into town together.

Returning to her room, Bowsette had intended to simply wear her normal outfit, but upon opening the door she was met with a package on the bed with a note and black-petaled flower on top. Picking up the note, it read:

" _Bowsette,_

_I thought you might want to wear something different to the Toad Parade and I saw this lovely dress that I know would look absolutely stunning on you._

_Yours,_

_Peach._

_xxx"_

The koopa woman smiled like an idiot as she read the note, carefully picked up the flower and – not before giving it a sniff – placed it to the side. When she uncovered the dress, her smile only got bigger. It was a dark green summer dress, with a muted floral design. Unlike her usual dress, this one had short sleeves with a V-neck and above the dress in a box, were a pair of black flats to replace her usual boots.

Bowsette got ready, putting on the dress and shoes that Peach got her, as well as some light makeup. She opted to forgo her signature spiked choker and armbands and also decided to wear her hair down, brushing it out so it flowed softly over her shoulders. To finish off the look, she tucked the flower into her hair, securing it with a bobby pin.

When she was ready and left her room to fetch Junior, she was met with a blonde princess on the other side of the door.

"Oh," Peach gasped, taken aback by what she saw. "Bowsette, you look amazing." Red blossomed on her cheeks. "You're beautiful."

The Koopa blushed as red as her eyes, struggling to properly meet Peach's eyes. "Thank you. You're pretty beautiful yourself." Peach had also opted for a similar look, though with a pink summer dress that had a more modest neckline. "Thank you for the dress and shoes, I love them." And she meant it; when she saw herself in the mirror, she felt so happy and content – something she never felt when she dressed up as Bowser.

"You're welcome," Peach said with a smile, giving Bowsette a proper look over. "I'm glad I was right; the dress really does suit you, and your hair looks lovely down." She offered her arm to the taller woman, who gladly looped her arm through hers.

They collected Junior – who didn't hesitate to point out how beautiful the two were; a confession that almost brought Bowsette to tears – then walked into town, merrily talking all the way.

Over the course of the walk, however, Bowsette couldn't shake the thought that it very much felt like the trio was a family. _'If only...'_

"Hey," Peach nudged her, clearly sensing the taller woman's thoughts going to a sad place, "Don't think about it, just enjoy the day."

Bowsette gave her a smile and nodded and they continued on into town.

* * *

When in town, they quickly met up with Daisy, Luigi, Mario and Toadsworth.

Though the rest of the group were familiar with the parade, the two Koopas had never seen it before; it was an extravagant display of decorative floats and Toads wearing eye-catching outfits, while marching bands played up-beat songs – all to celebrate Toad history and culture.

Being a monarch, Bowsette knew about the culture of the Mushroom Kingdom, so there wasn't much she didn't understand, but Peach still tried to explain it to the Koopas – if only for Junior's sake.

The actual parade lasted for about an hour and a half, after which they went to the town square where there were stalls set up, selling all sorts of things and hosting various activities.

After walking around for a while, the group decided to splinter, with Peach, Bowsette and Junior going off together – much to both Koopas delights.

One of the games was shell throwing, which Bowsette was quick to point out she was great at and quickly won a prize for both Junior and Peach – a plush Princess Peach for Junior and a plush Toad for Peach.

"Mama, why do people keep looking at us?" Junior asked after a while.

Bowsette had pondered the question herself, but she wasn't sure if she had just been imagining things.

"Oh, sorry," Peach interjected, "I think that might be my fault." The princess gave them both a smile. "Usually at events like this, I'd be with Mario; I guess everyone is speculating why I'm not spending time with him now."

"Oh. Would you rather be with him?" Bowsette asked tentatively.

"Oh, no." Peach said too quickly, before catching herself and blushing. "I-I mean, I like spending time with Mario, but I very much like spending time with you two, as well."

There was a short moment of silence, but it was quickly interrupted.

"Hey you three!" Daisy called, approaching with Luigi. "How's it going?"

"Great!" Junior replied immediately. "Mama won us both something!" He held up his own plush and gestured towards Peach's.

"Did she now?" Daisy said with a smirk. "Actually, Junior, we were looking for you." Daisy changed the subject after she noticed the blush that Bowsette now had.

"Really? Why?" The Koopa tilted his head in question.

"There's a model building stand, we-a thought you might want to check it out!" Luigi cheered.

"Oh! Where!? That sounds like fun!" He followed Luigi in the direction of the stand. Bowsette and Peach made to follow, but were stopped by Daisy.

"Why don't you two come on down in a bit; I'm sure it will take a while for them to make the models." She winked at the pair, then spun around to follow the others, leaving the now-blushing duo behind.

Seizing the moment, Peach gave the koopa a sheepish smile. "You know, I think I saw a flower stand somewhere. Do you mind if we take a look?"

"Oh, of course! That sounds nice."

They walked, arms linked, to the flower stand and perused the buds. The selection was colourful and exotic, and Peach wanted to add some of them to her garden. The two exchanged thoughts on the nicest ones, which ones would suit the garden and, somewhere in the back of her mind, Bowsette was struck – not for the first time – by how odd this was. Here she was, with someone that she had thought hated her, helping her buy flowers – a topic she didn't realise that she had much to contribute to, until recently.

Bowsette dwelled on this as Peach arranged for the flowers that they had liked to be brought to the castle, where she dismissed the unusual thoughts as soon as the princess came back to her.

"You okay?" Peach asked at Bowestte's thoughtful look.

"Yeah, I just never thought that I'd be able to hold a conversation about flowers for so long."

"Oh! Sorry, did you want to do something else?" Peach asked with genuine concern.

"No, no!" Bowsette was quick to reassure her, "I'm having fun, it's just... Surprising, I suppose."

"A good surprising?"

Bowsette nodded with a warm smile for the blonde. "Yeah."

"Good." Peach gave her a beaming smile. "I like being able to talk to you about things we both enjoy. And, I'd hate for you to be bored."

"I could never be bored when I'm with you." Bowsette said without missing a beat and, more importantly, before her _stupid brain_ _could stop her!_

Peach gave a nervous chuckle, while both of them averted their eyes, so they both missed the blushes that erupted on both of their faces.

"Well... I'm glad." Peach muttered. "Come on, let's go check out the craft stands." Peach quickly diverted the awkwardness in the conversation.

Bowsette mentally kicked herself for putting an awkward divide between them, but Peach quickly bridged it by grabbing the other woman's hand.

As they walked on, they both had a smile of their face.

* * *

The pair continued to wander around the stalls, enjoying each other's company. When they started to get hungry, they decided it was time to see how Junior was doing in the modelling competition.

The stand for it was rather large, with a few tables set up for people to make their models. Most were people around Junior's age, though a few were older. When Junior noticed the two approaching, he immediately stopped what he was doing to leap into their arms.

"Mama! Mama Peach!"

"Junior!" Bowsette gave the kid a squeeze, "How's the modelling going?"

"Oh! It's great! I'm building Mama Peach's castle!" Junior's tail wiggled enthusiastically behind him. "I'm almost finished, actually."

"Can we see it?" Peach chimed in.

Junior beamed up at her. "Come on!" He shouted, leaping out of their arms to run back to his table.

The pair followed him, albeit at a slower pace.

"See!?" Junior gestured.

"Oh, my! It's amazing!" Peach cheered.

And it was. Even if he hadn't told them, they certainly would have been able to guess what it was anyway, with its distinct spires and layout.

"That's great, kiddo! But what are these?" Bowsette gestured to the three figures stood in front of the castle.

"I haven't finished them yet, but – " he pointed to the one on the left, " – that's you, Mama, - " he moved on to the one in the middle, " – that's me, and – " he moved to the right one, that appeared to be mirroring the one on the left, holding what Bowsette suspected was Junior's hand, " – That's Mama Peach!"

Daisy and Luigi, who were just approaching the group from having stood back to watch Junior from afar, heard the what the koopa kid said and simply sent the – now blushing – duo a smile.

The four soon left Junior to finish his model – without letting him out of their sight, of course – and at the conclusion of the competition, Junior won first place.

To celebrate, the six – as Mario had appeared just as the winners were being announced – went to seek out lunch.

They all listened as Junior spoke animatedly through their meal, gushing about winning and talking about the other models that were in the competition that they liked.

Bellies full, the group then returned to the castle – bar Luigi and Mario, who went to their own home – to get ready for the evening's festivities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Hopefully the next one will be sooner (it's very dialogue heavy, so I gotta make sure it flows right). I'd love to hear what you thought!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another chapter so soon? Yup! Enjoy!

"Hold still, or I'm going to poke your eye out." Daisy cautioned, steadily trying to apply eyeliner to the nervous Koopa woman.

"Okay, okay, sorry." Bowsette tried her best to keep still. "Not that I don't appreciate the help, but I'm surprised you're not getting ready with Peach." She pointed out.

Daisy moved her head back to observe her handiwork from a distance. She nodded in self-approval, seemingly satisfied with her work. "I'm gonna go help her after I'm finished with your make-up; I wanted to make sure you look your best for tonight – Luigi can help you with anything else." She smiled at her boyfriend, who was helping Junior get ready alongside his mother. He was already dressed in his suit for the evening, he and his brother having gotten ready at home then arriving early to help out where they could.

Bowsette hmmed in approval, opting to stay silent as Daisy continued to work on her make-up.

After a while, though, she felt the need to speak up. "Thank you, both, for helping me."

"It's-a no problem!" Luigi cheered, trying to tame Junior's hair – _'good luck'_ Bowsette thought with amusement.

"It really isn't," Daisy said, patting Bowsette's shoulder reassuringly. "And stop acting so nervous, everything will be fine."

"But won't people wonder who I am?"

"They will," Daisy agreed, "but they're not going to be able to figure out that you're secretly the Koopa Monarch." She paused. "They likely will find out that it was you who rescued Toadsworth, though."

The koopa woman groaned. Before, she would always seek to be the centre of attention, but she always knew – on some level – that it was always an act.

Smirking at Bowsette's annoyance, Luigi interjected. "Don't-a worry about what other people think! Just-a have fun with Peach and us."

"Yeah! And me!" Junior cheered.

Bowsette smiled at their support, moving to give Junior's hand a loving squeeze.

"Okay, I think I can do that."

* * *

"I don't-a think I've ever seen you this nervous for a party, Peach."

The blonde princess blushed slightly at the comment, not averting her gaze from the mirror. "I'm just worried for Bowsette, is all. This is her first ball as a guest, I want her to enjoy it."

Mario quirked an eyebrow, not that Peach saw. "I'm-a sure she'll be fine. She's got us to-a look out for her. But there's something else bothering you."

"N-no... It's just..." Peach stammered, her blush intensifying.

Mario gave a somewhat bittersweet smile. "You really like her, don't-a you?"

The princess was fidgeting uncharacteristically, but she met her own eyes in the mirror, before turning to Mario. "I do. I really do."

"Then why are you worried?"

Peach sighed. "I'm just... I'm scared." Peach frowned, shaking her head. "This is all so new to me – so strange and unexpected. With our history and all this uncertainty... With me and you, it was easy; there was no doubt, but..."

Peach trailed off, so Mario spoke up. "I think, that's what makes this a-special. We came together easily, because it was-a expected; it was-a what people wanted for you, so you went with it."

Mario smiled at Peach as she met his eyes with a wide-eyed look. "But, a-Peach, you need to-a go with what you want. Even if it-a doesn't work out, even if some people aren't supporting. You-a need to do what makes you happy. We've been trying to get Bowsette to do-a the same thing, so take your own advice, yeah?"

Peach returned the smile, blinking rapidly so that she didn't start crying and pulled the plumber into a hug. "Thank you, Mario. I needed to hear that."

"It's-a alright, I just wasn't sure that you needed to hear it."

The princess pulled back from the hug, looking at the plumber. "We never were as open with each other as we should have been, were we?"

Mario nodded. "But, we can be now, as friends."

Peach smiled. "As friends."

They shared a moment of comfortable silence before a knock sounded on the door, Daisy popping her head through a crack in the door. "Heya, Peach, ready to do your make-up?"

"Oh! Yes, come on in."

Sensing the serious nature of their previous conversation, Daisy spoke up as she walked in. "Everything okay with you two?"

They both nodded, Mario – uncharacteristically – being the one to speak, "Yes, we were-a actually talking about Bowsette." Mario made a point of sending Peach a wink. "I will-a leave you two to it." He said, getting up to leave.

Daisy waved at Mario as he left, turning to Peach the second the door shut behind him.

The smirk that Daisy gave her was all the blonde needed to start blushing.

"Talking about Bowsette, huh?"

"Oh, shush." Peach chided.

Daisy smirked. "Hey, you used to tease me about Luigi."

The blonde covered her blush with her hands, muffling her voice. "I did not! And that's not the same!"

The other princess rolled her eyes, taking the seat next to Peach. "Oh, yeah? How's it not the same? Because both you and Bowsette are women?"

"No..." Peach sighed. "With Luigi, it was obvious that you two would be great together from the start, and you didn't have any... history." She paused, realising that she was raising a similar point with Daisy that she did with Mario, but she needed the extra reassurance. "We've been trying to work through that, I know, but what if things go wrong? What if Bowsette has simply made an idealised version of me in her head that I can't live up to?"

Daisy reached over, giving the blonde a reassuring squeeze on the arm. "Peach, no relationship is perfect, and they're not going to all end happily. But that's a risk that you have to take. Maybe you and Bowsette don't work out, and maybe she had a perfect version of you in her mind that you can't live up to, and maybe some other third thing, but you won't know until you try. And if you don't try, you'll never get the chance that maybe she sees you for who you are, and maybe you'll have a happy relationship – regardless of how it might end."

Peach's expression hardened as she frowned in thought. Daisy smiled. "Besides, I think you might be worried about nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... Maybe I'm being optimistic, but you two have been getting on really well over the last week. You've been getting to know each other. Properly, with nothing between you. No lies, no plots, no kidnapping power dynamics."

Peach nodded. Taking what Daisy said in. "She seems on edge, though, I'm worried for her. She's still trying to figure herself out."

The other princess hmmed in agreement. "And she will; be careful with her and give her space when she needs it, but make sure she knows that you are there for her. She'll need our support."

"I will." Peach exchange a serious look with her reflection, then turned back to the other woman. "Right, let's get ready, then."

* * *

Despite Luigi's best efforts, he proved unable to tame the young koopa's wild hair. Bowsette had divulged that it was the main reason it was usually in a ponytail (that, and Junior liked it), but – after making sure her own appearance was up to scratch – she opted to help the overwhelmed plumber.

Wielding a comb, the koopa woman took over, fighting the fiery hair that was much like her own. "You know, you'd think that with all the pipes you have to unblock, you'd have seen worse hair than this, Luigi."

The tuxedo wearing plumber scratched the back of his neck. "I-a would've, too. But, that-a hair..." He simply shook his head. "Is-a yours that bad? Daisy didn't seem to have a problem with it."

Bowsette continued to dig into the mane, careful to not hurt Junior. "Well, it used to be, but it did get slightly better as I got older. And, it got much better since... y'know."

"Aah, yes, I suppose that makes sense."

A quiet settled between the three while Bowsette worked, and the koopa woman took it as an opportunity to address something that had been on her mind.

"Luigi, I've been meaning to ask you, why have you been so... supportive of me? When you found out who I was, you didn't accuse me like Mario and Daisy did, you just... trusted me."

Bowsette turned her head slightly, looking at the plumber while also continuing working on Junior's hair. "Why?"

Luigi smiled warmly. "Since we-a met you as Bowsette – when-a Toadsworth and Junior were-a kidnapped – I knew there was-a something up, I just-a couldn't place it. Peach felt the same way, I think. But, when-a Daisy... outed you... the way you acted before, the way you-a acted after... I just-a couldn't believe that you were lying; I could tell there was-a something going on beyond us."

Luigi looked slightly bashful now, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, and, well... I think I can sympathise with your position." He met Bowsette's raised eyebrow with something between a secretive smirk and a genuine smile. "Let's just say, that I have experience with... the kind of identity crisis you're going through."

Feeling exposed, the koopa woman turned to Luigi, defensive by instinct. "H-hey! I'm not-I'm not going through an identity crisis!" Her face burned red, betraying her words.

The plumber successfully buried his usual fear at being on the receiving end of the Koopa's ire. "Hey, well, whether you are or not, we're all-a here for you. Remember that, yeah?"

Bowsette's defensive stance softened, her legs almost giving way when Junior turned to give her a hug. Overwhelmed with feelings that her emotionally starved brain struggled to handle, she held back tears. "Thank you, Luigi..."

"You're-a welcome. That's what friends do." He said with a smile.

And just like that, Bowsette felt that little bit more welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I just wanted to thank everyone that has left a comment, as well. I may not reply to them all, but I do read and appreciate them - they always put a big smile on my face (and a few of you have almost made me cry). So, thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relatively short one this time!

Once the trio were ready – having successfully tamed and styled Junior's unruly hair – they didn't have to wait long until there was a knock on the door.

Luigi answered the door and briefly froze. But, just before Bowsette could ask what was wrong, the door swung fully open to show Daisy stood on the other side. She was wearing the same stylish dress she was wearing when she was with them earlier, but over her shoulders was a black leather jacket that somehow managed to still look smart. Coupled with her recently put on makeup and her hair being pulled back into a ponytail, she clearly hit the punk-femme-princess combo that knocked Luigi off his feet.

"Wow..." He muttered. "You look-a beautiful tonight, Daisy."

The smirk she'd been wearing since the door opened morphed into a full smile. "Thanks, honey. You're pretty handsome yourself!" She reached forward, straightening the lapels on his jacket.

"Now, come on, you three. We've got a party to go to."

Luigi and Junior walked ahead, Bowsette quickly retrieving something, her nerves spiking again when Junior's voice broke out as he crossed the doorway.

"Mama Peach! You look really pretty! More pretty than normal!"

Bowsette's heart rate sky-rocketed at learning Peach was also outside.

"Thank you, Junior! You also look very smart. I dare say, Luigi has some competition."

Bowsette slowly waked towards the door.

"Aww... Thanks, Mama Peach..." He said, clearly bashful.

Bowsette turned into the hallway just as the blonde giggled in reply to the young koopa.

Their eyes met. Both looking at each other silently. Both completely dumbstruck.

Peach was wearing a different dress than normal. Still pink, but this one was slimmer. It had a similar neckline to her normal dresses, but without the puffy shoulders and chest jewel - a white lace pattern covering the upper part of the dress. The skirt was also much thinner than her usual, though still flared out slightly. She topped the look off with her typical crown, white gloves, and a pink bow in her hair.

Bowsette was wearing a sleeveless black vee-neck dress with a skirt that reached the floor. The dress had white trim on the rim of the skirt and along the neckline. Her signature armbands and choker had returned for the evening, fingerless gloves covering her hands. Hair still loose from earlier, it cascaded over her bare shoulders, framing her face that was made up with dark eye shadow and deep red lipstick.

"O-Oh my..." Peach stuttered, her face turning red. "Bowsette... You-you look... gorgeous."

Face also red, Bowsette was also a stuttering mess. "I... You, uh, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met."

Unknown to the two, Daisy ushered Luigi and Junior away, to leave the two to their moment. Junior put up some resistance, but ultimately a look from the other two made him comply.

Somehow, they both got redder at the redhead's words, but - before they could devolve into a bashful, awkward silence of them both trying to not be overwhelmed by the beauty of the other – Bowsette remembered the gift behind her back.

"O-Oh! Umm, Peach! I got you something!" The koopa woman moved her hands to her front, revealing a bouquet of pink roses. "Here." She handed them over, Peach graciously accepting them.

"They're lovely, thank you. Though not nearly as lovely as you." Peach smiled warmly, her eyes lighting up as she met the other woman's eyes again. "I got you something too, actually."

The Princess pulled out a black hair bow that matched her pink one, a detail that Bowsette picked up on instantly. "Oh, thank you!" She paused before accepting it. "Umm, could you put it on me?"

Peach smiled. "Of course."

She gave the flowers to a passing Toad, with the request of bringing them to her room, before stepping closer to the redhead.

Peach didn't want to ruffle Bowsette's meticulously brushed hair, so she carefully held the bow up to her head, before deciding where to clip it on.

Carefully separating a lock of her fiery red hair, she clipped the black bow on to it, delicately smoothing it down afterwards.

"There." Peach moved her head back slightly. "Perfect."

"Thank you." Bowsette mumbled, flustered by the close proximity.

"You're welcome." Peach muttered. There was a pause between the two, the blonde leaning in, her face inching closer to the redhead's, both their cheeks tinting a deeper red. pink lips brushed Bowsette's rosy cheeks, her heart fluttering at the delicate touch.

Speechless, flustered, and awestruck, Bowsette didn't have time to compute a response before Peach pulled back with a nervous smile, reached for the redhead's hand and said, "Let's go, we'll be late."

Accepting her hand, she allowed herself to be pulled along by the blonde, her brain and heart working in overdrive, trying to figure out what just happened.

They ran into Daisy, Luigi and Junior waiting for them just outside the ballroom – near one of the side entrances. Were this a more official event, Peach and Daisy – being royalty – would be announced before entering, under the attentions of everyone present. Much to Bowsette's relief, however, they would simply be turning up like any other guest tonight; albeit, entering through one of the doors exclusive for castle inhabitants.

"Ah, there you two are!" Daisy called as they arrived. All three were smiling at them, Daisy having to cover Junior's mouth to prevent him from saying anything about the two women's joined hands.

"Mario should-a already be inside." Luigi added.

Daisy uncovered Junior's mouth, giving him the chance to at least say something. "I like your new hair bow, Mama, it's very pretty! You and Mama Peach match now!"

The pair continued to expand their record of most-times-blushing-in-one-day, while Bowsette stuttered out a thank you. "Um, shall we?" Peach asked, gesturing towards the ballroom door.

The group of five walked in – Bowsette and Peach still holding hands – to a relatively busy room. There were decorations up on the walls, flowers displayed between windows where the evening sun shone through. Tables with food and refreshments lined the walls to the right, seating not far from that and an open floor for people to dance – presumably – was to the left. They entered without much fuss, only a few people turning to watch them, most not questioning Junior and Bowsette's presence; the Mario brothers, Peach and Daisy would often make little known friends on their adventures, so most assumed that was just who the two koopas were.

Some, however, did notice that the princess and her mysterious guest were holding hands, leading to a few whispers, the woman in question noted with a nervous gulp.

"Don't worry." Peach whispered beside her, squeezing her hand.

Heeding Peach's advice, Bowsette stopped paying attention to the people, instead focusing on her friends, her son and the soft hand in hers. She squeezed back, smiling at Peach.

Among those that saw their entrance was Mario, who finished preparing a table for Toadsworth before coming along to greet them.

Toadsworth then noticed their arrival as well, also coming along.

"My! Don't you all look lovely!"

He immediately noticed Bowsette and Peach's hands, giving them a warm smile, to which they both blushed.

"Likewise, Toadsworth, I'm not sure I've seen you in a tailcoat before." Daisy quipped.

"Ah, yes." He adjusted his jacket, showing it off. "It's new! This is the first chance I've had to wear it."

"Well, it looks rather fetching on you." Peach complimented.

"Thank you, Princess." Looking between the Princess and the Koopa, he moved on. "Bowsette, it's nice to see you here. I must say, you look very nice with that hair bow."

"Aw, thanks. Peach gave it to me."

Toadsworth nodded. "Ah, she chose well, then."

The group continued talking for a while, but eventually they split up when Junior kept eyeing up the food.

Luigi and Mario went with the Koopas; Peach and Daisy taking the opportunity to greet some guests that they knew they shouldn't ignore. Bowsette realised that they took that opportunity when they did, so that Bowsette wouldn't have to be put in any awkward positions and asked any difficult questions. She was touched by their thoughtfulness.

"Ah! Peach's chefs always make the best food!" Mario cheered as they neared the buffet.

"Mama's are good, too!" Junior couldn't help but interject. Bowsette nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah?" Even back when they were enemies, it was no secret that Bowsette shared the Mario brothers' love of food.

"Yeah!" Bowsette paused as she was making sure that Junior got some healthy food, getting food for herself and getting food for Peach, while also trying to continue the conversation. "Lots of the food is different – different cultures and all that – but we only hire the best! Or, train them up to be the best. Same thing."

"That-a sounds good! We haven't tried much koopa cuisine!" Luigi replied.

"Well, I guess at some point you could all come round, I could show you what my chefs can do?" Bowsette was quick to reply, though with a hint of nervousness.

"That would be great! Thanks, Bowsette!" Mario exclaimed, Luigi also chiming in his enthusiasm.

Bowsette smiled from ear-to-ear. She was glad to have her new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say, I've gotten loads of comments on this story - way more than I ever thought I would have - and I just struggle to find the words to thank you all or say how amazing your comments are. Knowing that so many people enjoy this story fills me with so much joy (and more than once, reading a nice comment has given me the motivation to push through a tricky bit of writing!). So thank you all, so much, I love you all! You've given me so much pride and joy in my writing, so thank you.  
> You all keep making me cry!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Today is the 1 year anniversary of when I uploaded the first chapter of this story on FFN, so that warrants a chapter! If you enjoyed the last one, I have a feeling you'll like this one, too.

The four were already seated before the two princesses returned, two empty spots between Luigi and Bowsette were left for them.

"Hiya!" Daisy waved, sitting in the seat closest to Luigi while Peach took the seat next to Bowsette. Everyone greeted them back – some with their mouths full – and Luigi and Bowsette handed the two princesses their plates.

Peach thanked the koopa woman with a quick kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush furiously.

The kiss was not quick enough, however, because everyone had noticed.

They all smiled – though Mario's was with a hint of surprise – except for Junior, who was quickly stopped from squealing with joy by Mario's hand. Bowsette just tried to regain her composure and Peach was intently focused on her food like nothing had happened, though visibly blushing with a small smirk.

Everyone calmed down, and no one mentioned it, the conversation moving to different topics. Bowsette and Peach stealing a few shy glances with each other throughout.

* * *

As the evening progressed, more and more guests had finished eating and moved over to the dance floor.

The group had stayed at the table initially – like many others – but, eventually, Mario was invited to dance by someone who Bowsette swore was the Mayor of New Donk City. Toadsworth came along soon after he left, taking the plumber's seat between Junior and Luigi.

Toadsworth filled them in on gossip about people that the Koopas had never heard of, before some slower songs started playing and Daisy was trying to drag Luigi onto the dancefloor.

"Come on, Luigi! Let's dance!" Daisy cried, gently tugging on the cuff of his shirt.

"Uhh, I'm-a not... I'm not sure..."

The princess huffed, resting her head on his shoulder, looking with a smirk towards the amused gazes of Bowsette and Peach.

"What if Peach and Bowsette come up as well? Then no one will be paying attention to us."

Bowsette squeaked.

"Come on, you two! It'll be fun!"

The Koopa woman was terrified to dance with Peach for more reasons that she could hope to list, but she couldn't deny that part of her was drawn to the idea.

Peach looked towards the redhead with a nervous smile, Bowsette swore she was blushing. "What do you think, Bowsette? Would you like to dance with me?"

_Oh_.

Bowsette's heart was beating erratically. That... that _felt_ romantic. Peach could have just said they should go up for Daisy and Luigi's sake, but the way she'd asked her...

"I-I'd love to." She squeaked out.

"Great!" Daisy interrupted, beaming. "You comfortable coming now?" She looked at her partner, who was quickly exchanging a nervous glance with Bowsette.

"Sure."

"Oh!" Daisy stopped herself before she could yank her boyfriend out of his seat. "Toadsworth, are you okay looking after Junior?" She asked the elder Toad, knowing that Bowsette was likely too flustered to think about it.

Junior was nodding vigorously before she had even finished talking, Toadsworth didn't notice, however. "Of course! You four have fun!"

"Thanks, Toadsworth!" She shouted, pulling Luigi behind her in the direction of the dance floor.

Peach held out her hand for Bowsette, both of them red in the face.

Hand in hand, the pair followed Daisy and Luigi to the dance floor. As they walked, weaving through tables, they both noticed a few eyes turning their way – certainly drawing attention like Daisy had hoped.

Arriving at the edge of the dance floor, they stopped, hesitant to start dancing. Daisy had clearly not given Luigi that luxury, as they were slowly swaying in each other's arms. Though, after a pointed look from the aforementioned princess, Peach and Bowsette turned to each other.

"Um, I'm not a very good dancer, and I've never danced... like this." The redhead whispered nervously, the atmosphere from the music seeming to encourage a soft tone.

"That's okay, we'll go slow." Peach guided Bowsette's right hand onto her shoulder while clasping her left. In turn, she rested her own on Bowsette's hip. She stepped in closer.

"Just follow my lead." She whispered.

Despite Bowsette's typically... unorthodox approach to ruling, she was still raised a royal – which meant learning how to dance. She'd never enjoyed it in the past; her bulky frame of the past coupled with the expectations behind needing to dance had always been barriers to her ever finding enjoyment in the activity. Those were gone now, though. And, here with Peach, slowly swaying to the music, an unspoken something in the air between them, Bowsette was absorbed in the moment.

Eyes watched them – wondering who the mysterious woman dancing with the Princess was – but the two never noticed. Song after song played and the pair spoke of little, but rarely broke eye contact. The world could be ending around them, but the only world they knew – in that moment – was the two of them and the soft melodies that flowed around them, guiding their movements.

The evening wore on, dancers getting tired and moving to sit with a drink, until there were only a few couples on the dance floor.

After a while, Peach halted their movements towards the edge of the dance floor. The two edged ever so slightly closer.

"Bowsette." Peach muttered, both of her hands now on Bowsette's hips.

"Peach." Her heart had been aflutter every second that she had been in the blonde's arms. The combination of joy and the nervous energy she held had made her light headed.

"Bowsette, I..." Peach looked between lips and red eyes. They looked so soft.

They moved closer still.

"Yes?" Bowsette whispered.

She looked down at the redhead's lips meaningfully. "May I...?" She asked. Bowsette nodded.

Their eyes slid closed as their lips met.

Warmth burst through Bowsette's body. _Peach_ was kissing _her_. The princess's soft lips set her heart ablaze. She started to feel light-headed as they slowly pulled back from one another. She couldn't believe that happened. _Was_ happening.

Peach studied the other woman's face as she pulled back, only to quickly shoot forward to steal one more kiss.

"Sorry." She muttered with a blush. Clearly not sorry, from the look on her face.

Bowsette could only grin. Her heart was swelling in her chest, overflowing with emotion. She had spent so many toxic years trying to force Peach to love her. Caused so much pain to everyone involved. But here she was _kissing her_. After everything she'd done? It was the last thing she could have ever hoped for.

She felt like a barrier had broken inside her. It was only when Peach's similarly happy expression morphed into concern that Bowsette realised that she was crying.

"Hey," She cooed, rubbing the redhead's bare shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Bowsette shook her head. "I'm just-" Her voice caught in her throat. She pulled the blonde into a hug. "I'm happy." She muttered into Peach's neck.

Peach wrapped her hands around Bowsette's back. "I'm happy, too."

They held each other for a while, silently swaying to the music, before Peach whispered in the redhead's ear. "Do you want to head back to the table?"

Bowsette nodded the affirmative and – after Peach gave her a once over to make sure she hadn't ruined her makeup too badly – they headed back, hand in hand.

The whole table – Daisy, Luigi, Junior, Mario and Toadsworth – were watching them intently on their way back. Though, they did all look away as they got close, pretending not to have been.

As they sat in their old spaces, everyone turned back to them, all with a conspiratorial grin. Once again, Mario had to try and stop Junior from saying something, though Toadsworth beat him by a split second. Just to be safe, Luigi decided to be the one to greet the two.

"Hey, you two!" He said, with a false casualness.

"Did ya have fun?" Daisy asked.

"Yes. That was nice." Peach answered, blushing.

Seizing an opportunity, Junior ducked under the table – escaping from Mario and Toadsworth – to pop up next to his mother, jumping on her lap and giving her a tight hug.

"I love you, Mama." He muttered into her bosom, clearly holding back on saying more.

Bowsette smiled, her heart swelling. "I love you too, you little rascal." She returned the hug, giving him a kiss on the top of his head.

Junior started to dose off in her arms, so Bowsette tried to only quietly contribute to the conversation. Throughout, Peach and her exchanged warm smiles and after a while, a hand grasped hers under the table.

The evening wound down as guests started to leave, until they were among the few people still there. Toadsworth had left the table to see off particular guests, but Peach stayed by Bowsette's side, their hands remaining entwined.

Daisy yawned loudly. "I think it's time that we go to bed."

"Yeah," Bowsette agreed, looking down at the sleeping form in her lap. "We probably should go, too."

Peach and Mario agreed, so they all finished their drinks, gathered their stuff and headed out of the ballroom.

Mario parted from the group first, then Daisy and Luigi; Daisy sending Peach and Bowsette a smirk as they left. Bowsette still held a sleeping Junior in her arms, but the two walked in comfortable silence until, they too, had to part ways.

Peach and Bowsette turned to each other, unspoken feelings passing through their gazes.

"Well..." Peach let the word hang between them.

"I suppose this is goodnight." Bowsette filled in.

The princess nodded. "I'll see you in the morning?" She asked. Bowsette nodded. The unspoken part of the question, something they both knew, was that they had a lot to talk about. But it was late, right now they both needed sleep.

"Goodnight, then." Peach smiled, leaning in to give Junior a kiss on the forehead and Bowsette a quick peck on the lips, before hurrying off to her own room.

"Goodnight, Peach..." Bowsette mumbled blissfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this one! Progress update: excluding the epilogue, there will only be two more chapters after this one until the story is finished - provided I don't decide to break them up differently. The good news is, however that they will both be 3k+ words each, so among the longest chapters of the story (the word count, before the epilogue, will exceed 30k words).
> 
> Thank you all for your kind comments once again; you really make my day. I write because I enjoy it, but writing for you makes it that much better!


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